SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has released a statement following Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart’s shove of Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren.
“Coaches cannot make contact with an opposing player. This play should have resulted in enforcement of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty,” said Sankey. “I am confident the contact was not intentional and the clear expectation is this conduct won’t happen again.”
Smart was lucky to not get penalized, but once he saw what he did he made amends. Smart made it clear that upon reviewing a replay of the incident that he felt bad. He called Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby to discuss the moment after the game.
“I went back and watched it. Didn’t even realize that I had run into him (Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren),” said Smart on Monday. “I reached out to Lebby that night and talked to him. He said the kid was great. Yesterday, I talked to Mike (Van Buren Jr.) and told him I had no intentions or ill will towards him at all. If you ever been on the sideline in a game, it’s pandemonium.”
Smart is constantly moving around to communicate with players and coaches. Georgia has a get-back coach for Smart, who is almost always animated on the sidelines.
“It’s really pandemonium when you’re trying to change personnel, and you only got three to four seconds to do it,” continued Smart. “We were in a bad personnel grouping against empty that we actually had messed up the week before. I was trying to get to Schumann to get that changed, but I reached out to the kid (Van Buren). He was great. He’s a really good player. ”
It does not appear that Smart will face any punishment from the league for his shove. However, the league has previously suspended coaches and players for making contact with officials and opposing players. Smart and No. 1 Georgia play No. 4 Texas on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET.