As you have no doubt heard by now, Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin and Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham were involved in an “incident” following UGA’s win Saturday.
Based on Mark Richt‘s words Sunday, there seems to be no punishment in the offing for Grantham from the school. Whether the SEC decides to take action against the two men is another matter entirely.
UGA athletic director Greg McGarity told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Monday that the SEC is currently in the process of reviewing the incident. Both schools are expected to submit a written report to the conference, at which point the league will decide what if any action should be taken.
“I spoke with the Commissioner earlier today and they are in a sort of [in a] fact-finding process now,” McGarity said. “We’ll submit a report either verbal or in writing. I’m sure Vandy will do the same and then, basically, we’ll see what happens at that point in time.”
The SEC confirmed that "[t]he conference office is gathering information from all parties about the incident” and that a response might be issued on Tuesday.
McGarity said he discussed the incident over the phone with Richt yesterday and face-to-face with Grantham this morning. In a statement to the Journal-Constitution, Grantham stopped short of apologizing for his role in the confrontation.
“First of all, I love my players and appreciate their hard work and investment in our program,” Grantham said. “I feel a responsibility and loyalty to protect and stand up for them. However, I feel it’s important to educate them in all areas of life. While my intentions were genuine, I feel it was unfortunate that things escalated to a confrontation. However, I’ll use it as a learning experience for my self as well as my players so that we all become better men.”
This is the second time in two years Grantham has made a public spectacle of himself. Last year, his first season as the Bulldogs’ coordinator, Grantham was caught on camera making a choking motion with his hands and screaming “You’re gonna ******* choke! You’re gonna choke!” at Florida kicker Chas Henry as he was about to attempt a game-winning field goal.
Grantham was not subject to sanctions by the conference for that incident.