Georgia Football: Trent Thompson Shows The "Kirby" Way

Early in 2017, Trent Thompson made the news, and not in a good way. Or, so we thought. The “Kirby” Way showed that something had changed for Georgia Football.

Georgia Football is right around the corner, and just like every one of our local teams, they are about to transition from “camp mode” to “fall practice”. Barring something strange, Trent Thompson will start and star for UGA’s defense. That fact shows something about Coach Kirby Smart and his staff. That something is different than in recent years past.

Full disclosure: I’m writing this from the 229. In fact, I’m in Thompson’s home town. Even though I’m an Atlanta boy, my Dad’s people are from here. It’s my home town, too. It’s possible that this is why I write this.

But, I don’t think so. While there is no need to re-hash Thompson’s story, you can find that anywhere, it is important to look at how it was handled.

This is no dig at former Coach Mark Richt (OK, maybe a small one), but after years of UGA’s best players getting self-suspended for seemingly minor infractions compared to other schools (See: A.J. Green and Todd Gurley and then See: Miami or North Carolina), this situation was handled completely differently.

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In fact, it is this writer’s opinion that, if the Georgia Football team does accomplish its goal of winning the SEC East, it will be directly related to how Kirby Smart handled the Trent Thompson affair.

There is no way to quantify or qualify whether this is, in fact, true. It is only a suspicion. But one gets the feeling that, even after an incredibly disappointing season in 2016, the team has continued to “buy in”. It’s not far-fetched to think that this whole episode aided that.

Let’s face it. 2016 was full of brutal losses. Every loss is brutal, yes. But I’m talking gut-wrenching, “you did it to yourself” type losses. It was no given that this new coaching staff could keep them dialed up and in. That they could keep them bought in to believing that their way was the best way.

This writer’s opinion is that the manner in which Smart, and the Administration, allowed Thompson to stay with the team, be a part of the team, stay loved up from the team, even though he wasn’t technically in school, showed the rest of the dudes that they truly are cared for.

Think season 1 of “Last Chance U”. Now think of the opposite. There were many young men who play football around the country who took notice of that show. The coach/player relationship question stuck. The player asks “Do they care?'” The coaches have to answer with action during adversity. It’s the actions vs. words thing again.

And this in a time when we are getting all kinds of news of suspensions in college football and the NFL. Actions have consequences, but are they the right consequences?

If Trent Thompson balls out in 2017, and the Georgia Football team takes the “next step”, and challenges Florida for the SEC East title, it might have been how this coaching staff and administration handled this deal that kept the team chemistry flowing and live.

The players might’ve looked and said, “I’ll battle for them, because they will battle for us”. It’s not that far-fetched.

Next: Atlanta Sports: Local Football Teams About to Put the “D” in Deep South

Or, I could just be high on the 229 air. It happens sometimes.

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Georgia Football: Trent Thompson Shows The “Kirby” Way

By W. M. Lawson | Aug 17, 2017

Early in 2017, Trent Thompson made the news, and not in a good way. Or, so we thought. The “Kirby” Way showed that something had changed for Georgia Football.

More from ATL All Day