I get the outrage.

When a 5-star mega recruit like Zamir White suffers a season-ending injury on punt coverage in preseason, the knee-jerk reaction is to ask why. That questioning was multiplied for someone like White, who was still working his way back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Search “Kirby punt coverage” on Twitter. It’s not pretty. Some — not all — Georgia fans are under the impression that Smart was working White like a fifth-string walk-on and not like a rehabbing superstar. It’s one of the few times in the past 12 months that it seems like Smart isn’t universally loved by Georgia fans at the moment.

Love him or hate him, outrage directed at Smart for White’s injury is misplaced. I have zero problem with Smart putting any non-quarterback on punt coverage.

As long as a player is healthy enough to participate in practice, there’s nothing wrong with putting him in at punt coverage.

Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

White was deemed healthy enough to be in practice. Before we get into the “why playing punt coverage is more common for studs than the average fan realizes” discussion, let’s remember that this was a non-contact injury … and not on the knee that White injured last year.

One awkward cut can trigger that. I’m not a doctor, but I’d guess that’s something that’s a whole lot more likely to happen getting a carry out of the backfield than running downhill in punt coverage. Smart wasn’t setting up White to get hurt.

Also, while the hype for White was and is off the charts, let’s not act like this guy is a Heisman Trophy winner just yet. Actually, that shouldn’t even matter. If you’ll recall, Derrick Henry played on punt coverage during his 2015 Heisman campaign at Alabama. Smart also put oft-injured Sony Michel on that unit after he got to Georgia.

Besides the basic importance of the play itself — you want your speed guys on that unit to prevent quick return men from getting to the sidelines and turning the corner — remember that there are certain roster restrictions (not burning redshirts, limited road rosters, injuries, etc.) that contribute to such a move.

Perhaps that’s why Smart got so upset when he was asked about if White playing on punt coverage was a common thing.

“You guys are amazing,” Smart said during a press conference over the weekend. “Sony Michel was a first-round pick last year, he covered a punt. Derrick Henry covered every punt at Alabama, I mean, why would you ask that?

“I mean, I’m sick for the kid, because I don’t know the severity of the injury it’s really not fair that all you guys run out there and throw stuff out there and we don’t get a chance to talk to his parents.”

Go to the 2-minute mark of this video to see Smart’s animated response (via DawgPost):

I’ll save the media ethics discussion about reporting on an injury for another time.

As for playing talented skill players on punt coverage, it isn’t just an Alabama/Georgia thing, or even just a college thing.

IMG Academy coach Kevin Wright told me a few months ago that Trey Saunders and Noah Cain, two of the top running back recruits in the country, play on punt and kickoff coverage. Why? He believes it keeps them fresher and ultimately, healthier. They don’t enter a game cold, and at the same time, they can help the team in an underrated part of the game.

If people who have been around the game like Wright, Smart and Nick Saban believe that, I tend to agree with them.

Why in the world would they do something that they felt was going to put a key player in harm’s way? This is their livelihood at stake, too. If they thought there was significant injury risk that outweighed the upside of playing one of the team’s best athletes on punt coverage, they wouldn’t do it. Period.

A talented player went down doing something that wasn’t his main role at Georgia. Because of the timeline of the original injury, it makes it seem like Smart over-exerted a player who wasn’t ready. That’s an easy conclusion to jump to after seeing the headline “Zamir White suffers torn ACL on punt coverage.”

Just because it’s an easy conclusion to jump to doesn’t mean it’s the right one.

This was a freak injury. Freak injuries happen. They’re a bummer. But let’s not act like there always needs to be someone to blame. Smart has made mistakes. And he will mistakes that he’ll have to own up to.

Whether Georgia fans like it or not, Smith’s injury wasn’t one of them.