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Georgia football coach Kirby Smart was unhappy with reserve safety Jake Pope following an 18-point loss to Ole Miss. Pope, who’s played sparingly in the 2024 season, was seen celebrating alongside Rebels fans that flooded the field after the upset.
The moment created terrible optics while sparking a narrative that players weren’t committed to the team’s success. Smart’s reaction, however, might’ve done more damage!
Pope, who transferred to Georgia after spending a year at Alabama, is from Buford, GA. He played high school football with Ole Miss offensive lineman Reece McIntyre. When Pope saw McIntyre’s family on the field, he jumped joyously with a smile on his face as Rebel fans celebrated around him.
While Pope was just happy to see a friend, it was a bad look considering his team had just taken one step closer to being removed from the College Football Playoff conversation. Kirby Smart saw the now-viral celebration a day later. His reaction was one of pure disgust.
Smart eviscerated the “idiotic” Georgia Bulldog for his actions. He was less than thrilled to see his player smiling after a three-score loss!
It offered a stark contrast, however, to his reactions seen earlier in the year following a slew of legal run-ins by roster members. In many of those cases, he remained even-keel. They were learning moments, nothing compared to Pope’s blatant disrespect of the Georgia football program (*sarcasm*).
Kirby Smart talking about players getting arrested vs Kirby Smart talking about one of his players seeing a childhood friend after a game pic.twitter.com/oOrhrUj4O1
— zach ragan (@zachTNT) November 11, 2024
The Bulldogs made headlines throughout the offseason due to reckless driving related offenses that resulted in NIL fines, in-house punishment, and in some cases, suspensions.
At 2023 SEC Media Days, Smart was asked about the continuous law breaking. He denied seeing an uptick in traffic violations in Athens compared to years past. A year later, he continued to brush the legal issues aside while championing the character of players inside his locker room.
Kirby Smart about his players’ 24 driving violations: “The No. 1 thing I’m disappointed. Anytime you have situation like that you want your players to make better decisions. I always say you can’t be outcome related & I’m very disappointed in the outcomes but I am very pleased…
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 26, 2024
Kirby Smart’s animated response to Jake Pope’s situation differed greatly from those linked to Georgia’s legal run-ins. Some people have a problem with that. In the very least, it’s created a perception surrounding the things Smart values most from a football standpoint.