Credit to David Hale for not only dignifying the question but taking the time to do some very serious thinking about the subject. I admit that I can’t give the topic of Mark Richt having lost control of the program the same kind of respect. The thing is – I’ve heard the same hand-wringing ever since RingGate following the 2002 championship season. Every time something new comes up, the same people run around shrieking “HE’S LOST CONTROL! HE’S LOST CONTROL!” I’m numb to it.

Hyperbole about the Georgia program being out of control usually comes from one of three sources:

1. Media talking heads looking to stir the pot. And, oh, do insecure fans take the bait.
2. Fans of rivals relishing the chance to play gotcha.
3. Georgia fans, still in middle school, upset that the latest incident has cost them an opportunity to trash talk rivals about their own problems.

Concern about an “out of control” program begins for rational adults when Richt facilitates, covers up, or overlooks illegal or detrimental behavior. When that happens we’ll have something worth talking about. I don’t mean to diminish the seriousness of the individual offenses or deny the appropriateness of justice. But if we’re talking about these incidents in the context of Richt’s control of the program, you’re going to have to find some specific flaws within the organization or culture of the program for me to put any portion of this on Richt.