Kirby Smart is trying to put the postgame incident involving Georgia defensive back Jake Pope in the rearview mirror. However, the head coach knows he had a misstep early in the week.

The incident involved Pope getting caught on camera appearing to celebrate with a pair of Ole Miss fans on the field, in spite of the Bulldogs losing the game by double digits. Pope has since apologized for the incident but also clarified the individuals were longtime family friends he was genuinely happy to see.

Smart was asked about the viral video at his press conference to start the week, and Georgia’s head coach lashed out. He referenced Pope as “what an idiot” and said it was simply “stupid.”

Now, Smart is walking back part of those comments during his Tuesday media session with the media. Smart confirmed Pope addressed the team but declined to get into specifics while admitting he should have never called Pope an idiot in public.

“I don’t like to comment on the internal stuff going on inside. He did talk to the team, did a great job. I will say I should not have called the kid an idiot,” Smart admitted. “That’s a mistake by me. I appreciate Jake. He is a great kid, he works really hard, he’s a team player. I think he knows it was an emotional mistake and he told the team that. We appreciate the way he handled it.”

Now, Smart and the Bulldogs will shift their focus to this week where they will need to rebound quickly to face a strong Tennessee team. Georgia was outside the Playoff bracket Tuesday night, and another loss would likely widen the gap further with the end of the regular season quickly approaching.

Paul Harvey

Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.