Georgia head coach Kirby Smart lost his father, Sonny Smart, early Saturday morning, the university has announced via a statement from the sports information office. He was with his wife, Sharon, and three children, Kirby, Karl, and Kendall, when he died.
Below is the full statement from UGA and a rough timeline of how Smart’s health declined in a short period of time due to a fall New Year’s Eve.
The veteran high school coach attended Samford University and was a center for the Bulldogs. Originally from Columbia, Alabama, just over the Georgia border, Smart spent 23 years coaching in the Peach State. He had stops at Bainbridge, where Kirby played, and Rabun County.
When Georgia played in the National Championship game in 2022, Sonny was unable to attend due to some medical issues that were far less severe than what he experience in New Orleans.
“It hurts me that he and my mom won’t be here,” Smart said at the time. “But I know it’s the right decision for him. He’s been at almost every, in terms of home game in Athens, playoff games. It’s tough that he’s not able to make it. Nothing worse than watching your parents grow old. It’s like taxes; it’s inevitable. They’re going to get old. And that’s been tough.”
Georgia wideout Colbie Young was able to get his legal situation resolved on Wednesday as he pled no contest to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct. The charges of domestic battery and endangering an unborn child were dropped, and that would seem to pave the way for Young to return to Athens. With that said, DawgsHQ is sharing the latest on what we’re hearing.
First and foremost, I have not spoken to one person connected to the program — on or off the record — who is willing to say that Young will be back or even that they expect him back. The tone is optimistic. You can tell that Georgia likes its chances, but no one is willing to just pop off about this thing. I suspect that’s because Young has been back working out and practicing with the team for awhile now and the decision to reinstate him, in some way, has already been made. But that’s just my thought on it.
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