Todd Gurley’s Suspension is Laughable, But It Had To Happen

By Justin Patrick @calling_allfans on October 10, 2014

Todd Gurley being suspended is absolutely absurd, yet it had to happen. The 13th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs (4-1, 2-1 SEC) will be without their talented running back when they take on the 23rd-ranked Missouri Tigers (4-1, 1-0 SEC) this Saturday.

Gurley, possibly the best running back in the country, has been suspended indefinitely by UGA pending an investigation into an alleged violation of NCAA rules by Gurley. Georgia officials have not revealed the alleged violation, but Gurley has reportedly been suspended because he was allegedly given money for autographs, memorabilia or the use of his likeness.

It has been reported that autograph authentication company James Spence Authentication (JSA) has authenticated at least 500 Gurley signed items with certificates of authenticity. That many autographed items are bound to raise some red flags. At this time it is unknown if Gurley has actually ever received money for his autograph, but, reportedly, a person confirmed to UGA’s compliance office this week that he paid Gurley $400 in exchange for the Georgia running back signing 80 items. Said person has claimed he has a photo and video of Gurley signing the items, but neither the photo nor the video actually shows money exchanging hands.

Gurley has been on a tear this season and he leads the Bulldogs with 773 rushing yards and eight TDs, and he is averaging 8.2 yards per carry, but NCAA rules stipulate that teams/schools have to declare a player ineligible as soon as they discover a player has violated NCAA rules. So the Bulldogs will be without their Heisman-caliber running back for the foreseeable future, which is a joke.

Technically, UGA made the correct decision to suspend Gurley. If Gurley did violate NCAA rules and UGA didn’t suspend him, they may end up having to vacate any wins they rack up with Gurley on the field. The issue is that many NCAA rules are ridiculous. It’s fine if the schools or the NCAA do not want to pay players because they are technically amateurs and not professionals.

That you can kind of wrap your head around, but to tell a person they cannot make money for signing autographs or off of their likeness is insane. Granted, it appears college sports are moving in a direction to where athletes can be compensated for autographs and for their likeness, but it never should have been a rule to begin with.

If someone wants to pay a player like Gurley, QB Johnny Manziel (suspended for the first half of the first game last season when Texas A&M played Rice) or WR A.J. Green (suspended for the first four games of UGA’s 2010 season) for an autograph or memorabilia (game worn jersey, etc.), there should be no issue with that taking place. Not allowing that to take place makes about as much sense as the smartest kid in a college class not being able to accept cash for tutoring a less talented classmate.

Gurley (allegedly) broke NCAA rules. So he has to be suspended until this issue is resolved and he can be reinstated. It just shouldn’t be a rule to begin with.

Justin Patrick is a New England Patriots writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @calling_allfans, like him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google. You can also email him at [email protected]