Georgia great Tim Worley shares frustration with Bulldogs’ Sugar Bowl loss in open letter
By Andrew Olson
Published:
The 2018 Bulldogs are being called out by a Georgia great.
Tim Worley, who played at Georgia from 1985-88 and was the No. 7 overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft, is venting his frustration with the team’s Sugar Bowl performance in an open letter published on UGA Wire.
From the opening, Worley makes it clear he’s not about to sugarcoat anything:
At the risk of sounding arrogant and entitled, I’m about to fuss. Yes, it’s about the Sugar Bowl, but I’ll get to that in a minute. Along with everyone else in Dawg Nation, I saw some proverbial fruit on the UGA football tree last night, and the root of that fruit is what I’m compelled to address.
But really, I’m fussing. Without apology.
Worley does not call out CB Deandre Baker by name, but one section appears to be directed at the Jim Thorpe Award winner who opted to sit out the bowl game:
You know what else I did?
I played in our bowl game when I knew I was declaring for the NFL Draft as a junior.
In fact, when I played in the 1989 Gator Bowl against Michigan State – my last game as a Georgia Bulldog – guess who else played in that same game, and declared for the draft days later? First round and the second overall pick, offensive lineman Tony Mandarich and first-round, twenty-second overall pick, Andre Rison (who, by the way, was the Spartans’ MVP with nine receptions for 252 yards.)
Don’t @ me about their NFL careers. That’s not the point. The point is, the bowl game I played in had three first-round picks in it. And we didn’t just play in the game. We. Went. At. It. Along with my backfield mate, Rodney Hampton (who was a first-round pick the following year), we flat out battled in that game. And, UGA won by a score of 34-27 in front of 76,000 people.
Worley also took issue with one of coach Kirby Smart’s postgame comments:
Now I’ll discuss the bigger issue about last night’s loss to Texas that, frankly, has me concerned. Really concerned. This issue has been adequately addressed by journalists. In this (Dawgnation.com) article, Coach Smart said Texas “wanted it more” and he said, “I hope they learn you better show up to play every game because the teams you’re playing at the end of the year are all capable of topping you.”
With all due respect, Coach, “hope” isn’t gonna get it done. You can’t “hope” they get it. You have to make them get it. That only happens with a no-exceptions culture that is either bought into, or players play somewhere else. You’ve seen it done. As Alabama’s defensive coordinator, you have championship rings proving it can be done….with this generation of athletes. I mean no disrespect, but later for all that “hope” stuff, bruh.
I’m not a journalist. I’m a ticked-off member of “Running Back U, and the issue that concerns me is entitled apathy.
The lengthy read points out that the Bulldogs don’t have to look back too far for the right attitude:
Take a page from Nick Chubb’s and Sony Michel’s book: big TEAM; little me. This is a photo of an actual shirt we wore when I was at UGA. I strongly suggest the University of Georgia have some made for the 2019 season….just as that wise dude said, “There’s nothing new under the sun.”
The full letter can be read here.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaign of Fred Taylor.
