Georgia coach Kirby Smart called backup safety Jake Pope’s actions “just stupid” after the player was caught seemingly celebrating with Ole Miss fans on the field in the wake of the Rebels’ 28-10 victory over the then-No. 3 Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday.
Smart, speaking during a news conference Monday, told reporters that Pope was celebrating with friends from Buford High School in Georgia.
“What an idiot. I mean, just stupid,” Smart said. “I didn’t see it until today, but he’s embarrassed about it. He’s upset about it. That’s obviously a childhood friend of his that he grew up and played with there at Buford and he knows him, hadn’t seen him in forever, but just not real smart.
“To be honest with you, I don’t have time to waste energy on that. My focus is on Tennessee. I’m not worried about that.”
The Bulldogs host Tennessee in what might be a CFP elimination game at Sanford Stadium on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET/ABC, ESPN+).
Pope, who spent two seasons at Alabama before transferring to Georgia this year, apologized in a statement posted to X on Monday, saying he was “sorry for the way it was taken out of perspective and has caused distractions/commotion for my teammates.”
“This is not representative of who I am in any way,” Pope said in the statement. “In no way, shape or form would I ever celebrate a loss in this program and anyone who knows me well knows that. My long-time family friends had come up to me unexpectedly after the game as I was trying to get off the field to safety and were extremely excited to see me after the game.
“I was also surprised to see them as well and that’s why you saw the reaction that I gave via the video.”
Pope, who has played in three games for the Bulldogs, said he is “Georgia through thick and thin and have never loved a group of guys more than the guys I go to battle with day in and day out.”
“Lastly, and once again, I’m sorry to my teammates, coaches, and fans all around about the way that video looked, and I choose to move forward and get ready for a great rest of the season with my brothers,” Pope said.
Meanwhile, Smart said that senior receiver Colbie Young would remain suspended until his legal case is resolved. Young was arrested on Oct. 8 on misdemeanor charges of battery and assault of an unborn child, according to Athens-Clarke County Jail records.
On Wednesday, Young’s attorney, Kim Stephens, released an affidavit from the 20-year-old woman involved in the incident, in which she retracted her initial statement to police and requested that all criminal charges against Young be dropped. The woman said in the affidavit that the police report was “slanted and does not accurately portray what occurred on Oct. 8.”
“I did go to Colbie’s apartment late at night to talk to him about our relationship and my pregnancy,” the woman said in the affidavit. “Colbie asked me to leave more than once while I was there. I did not leave until I became upset with him and did not think our conversation was productive.
“Colbie did not place his hands on me in any way during the conversation and argument that was inappropriate or unwanted. He did not hit me. He did not push me. He did not cause any bruising or marks on me. He did not injure me in any way.”
The woman said she asked the Athens-Clarke County solicitor general’s office on Oct. 14 to dismiss the charges against Young.
“The legal process has got to play itself out,” Smart said. “Look, we want to support Kobe where we can. We’ll continue to provide him with access to our facilities and support resources we have, whether that’s [the academic center], the training room, mental health, weight room. But the legal process has to play itself out before we can do anything.”
Young’s arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 10.
