Gurley suspended additional two games; Georgia to appeal

Star Georgia running back Todd Gurley has been suspended an extra two games by the NCAA – meaning that he’ll be back for the Auburn game at Sanford Stadium on November 15th.

Georgia already suspended Gurley for two games – the road wins against Arkansas and Missouri – after finding out he had taken money for signing autographs. It was thought to be around the $400 mark, but the further investigation found that it was far more than that.

The NCAA said that Gurley was suspended for “accepting more than $3,000 in cash from multiple individuals for autographed memorabilia and other items over two years.” It added that “Gurley, who acknowledged violating NCAA rules, must repay a portion of the money received to a charity of his choice and complete 40 hours of community service as additional conditions for his reinstatement.”

Although Nick Chubb ran the ball excellently for UGA since Gurley’s suspension, there will be even more pressure for the freshman to perform – especially against an excellent defense in Florida and against a Kentucky team – on the road – who has beaten South Carolina and given Mississippi State everything it can handle.

The NCAA said that it considered banning Gurley for longer because “the violations occurred over multiple years with multiple individuals and the student received extensive rules education about the prohibition of receiving payment for autographs.” But it added that Georgia’s “due diligence in its investigation and the student’s full disclosure of his involvement in the violations” meant that it didn’t have to come down to it.

Georgia said that it will appeal the decision, which will be reviewed this week. Saturday Down South, the SEC blog, noted that the Appeal board cannot increase the ban – which might serve Gurley bearing in mind the nature of his ‘sins’.