Mark Richt making news for kindness not news to Georgia fans

Georgia head football coach Mark Richt recently made headlines for showing kindness and support to a Southern University player who was injured in the game against UGA, but this type of thing is nothing new to Georgia fans.

Anytime a player in injured on the field, you generally see a wealth of concern from both benches. The medical and training staff and facilities for the home team are completely at the disposal of the visitors, and there is usually an outpouring of support from fans of both teams.

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From there, the game goes on, the player’s condition is updated and the world continues to spin on its axis.

Unless you’re Mark Richt.

When news broke this week that Richt and fellow coach Brian Schottenheimer were keeping vigil with Southern wide receiver Devon Gales, who had suffered a severe spinal injury while attempting a block, a buzz began to circulate throughout the news. When the story then revealed that Richt had Gales’ parents flown in from Baton Rouge at the expense of the UGA athletic department, the gleaning of just how good a person Mark Richt is was in full force.

When Richt himself said that Gales’ family would have the full support of everyone at Georgia and that the Bulldog nation may be called upon when the “time of need” for Gales’ family might come, folks started talking about sainthood.

Yeah, everyone knew Mark Richt was a “nice guy”…but few who don’t deal with the 15-year Georgia head coach know exactly how nice…how good…how decent…this constantly berated coach really is.

What infuriates Georgia fans the most is that this is precisely what they have been trying to drill through the heads of Richt’s detractors and critics for years, even those among their own fan base (and yes, they do exist). They aren’t Richt apologists, they are Richt supporters to the very end, and actions like these of the past week are precisely why.

Jul 16, 2015; Hoover, AL, USA; Georgia Bulldogs coach Mark Richt interacts with fans after the SEC media days at the Wynfrey Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Kelly Lambert-USA TODAY Sports

It’s not news to people who have been around or followed Richt’s career that he would go out of his way to show some kindness and charity…this is the normal course of life for coach Richt.

No one attached to or supporting the Georgia athletic department is shocked in the least, or even mildly surprised at the past week’s events and gestures. This is what Mark Richt does. He cares for young people, and he wants to mentor them in every facet possible – not just on the football field.

Supporting Mark Richt has nothing to do with a “loser’s mentality” (the barb so often tossed by opposing fans or Richt opponents), nor does his (usually) calm and even-keeled demeanor. If you talk to players who have spent time playing under Richt, you’ll hear nothing but glowing reports, even from those players whom he had to dismiss from his program.

He stays in touch with those players, and has genuine concern that they stay on the right path. It’s not about the wins and losses, its about turning out a better and more prepared generation of young adults.

Former UGA center Ben Jones once told me in an interview, “[Richt] was one of the main reasons I went to Georgia…he puts his faith first. Just living like that every day, he definitely made me the man I am today. I give him all the credit for that. I couldn’t have asked for a better coach or better father figure than him.”

Imagine that…a player referring to his football coach as a “father figure”. Practically unheard of in today’s win-first, no-tears, who-cares-about-the-cost mentality.

Gales had surgery to repair the damaged vertebrae, and he has regained some movement in the upper part of his body, but it’s going to be a long, difficult journey for this young man in the coming months and years.

And rest assured that Mark Richt is going to be there every step of the way, and will stay in constant communication with Gales’ family and coaches.

Southern University chancellor Ray Belton summed it up nicely in an open letter to Richt and the UGA athletic department when he said:

Sep 26, 2015; Athens, GA, USA; Southern University Jaguars wide receiver Devon Gales (33) is taken off on a stretcher and cart after being injured against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Georgia defeated Southern 48-6. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

"“The extent to which the UGA officials and community have embraced our student-athlete is remarkable and it speaks volumes to their character and kindness.”"

Character and kindness.

Let those words burn in.

That’s what Mark Richt has brought to Georgia and to college football. If he never brings another trophy, another ring, another banner to hang at Sanford Stadium, I’m not sure there is anyone who supports Georgia and Mark Richt who would really care.

He’s brought more than anyone could hope for.

It’s not news, what Mark Richt did, it’s just what he does. It’s what he’s always done, and always will do. You don’t have to rattle off all the eye-popping statistics of what he’s done as a coach since coming to Georgia, you just have to look at this one single incident to see a microcosm of why Mark Richt is so revered and so loved by so many.

Next: The Next Coach To Win His First National Championship

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