College football notes: Bulldogs' diversity fund includes big gifts from big names

AP photo by Mark Tenally / Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, who played college football at Georgia, plays catch before a game against the host Washington Redskins on Nov. 24, 2019.
AP photo by Mark Tenally / Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, who played college football at Georgia, plays catch before a game against the host Washington Redskins on Nov. 24, 2019.

ATHENS, Ga. - Former University of Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford and current Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart have contributed a total of $500,000 to an athletic department program focused on diversity and social justice.

Jere W. Morehead, the school's president, said Friday the initiative will "promote an inclusive culture" among all members of the athletic association, including student-athletes, coaches and staff.

Among the initial gifts were a $350,000 commitment from Stafford and his wife, Kelly, a former Georgia cheerleader. Stafford played with the Bulldogs from 2006 to 2008 and has been with the Detroit Lions since he was the first overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft.

Smart, a former Bulldogs defensive back, and his wife, Mary Beth, a former Lady Bulldogs basketball player, pledged $150,000 toward the program. Both commitments are part of larger gifts from both couples that are still being finalized.

AP poll will roll on

NEW YORK - The Associated Press intends to rank teams if major college football games are played this season.

A most unusual season is less than a month away, and the preseason AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank is scheduled to be released Aug. 24, marking the 85th year of its existence. The AP will also release its preseason All-America team the following day.

The AP has asked its voters to consider all Division I teams when filling out their ballots, so the preseason poll is expected to include teams from conferences that have decided not to play this fall. After games begin, voters will rank only teams that are scheduled to play.

"The preseason poll has always been a speculative ranking of teams based on last year's results and knowledge about the new makeup of teams," said Michael Giarrusso, AP's global sports editor. "This year, we think it is crucial to give all the teams and all their fans a snapshot look at what the Top 25 would have been to open the season."

The pandemic has already gutted a significant portion of the season. Two major conferences, the Big Ten and Pac-12, have called off fall sports. For now, 67 out of 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams, including those from the Atlantic Coast, Big 12 and Southeastern Conferences, are still planning a fall football season. The AP panel of 62 sports writers and broadcasters will vote accordingly.

The AP provides guidelines to voters that are both broad and brief, understanding the task is more art than science, especially early in a season. The first sentence of those guidelines: "Base your vote on performance, not reputation."

"The AP will collect and distribute the votes of our media panel as we always have," Giarrusso said. "Once games kick off, it does not make sense to rank teams that are not participating. There is no solution that will satisfy every fan or every team. But ranking teams that play is the one that makes the most sense."

If a spring season is also played, the AP plans to rank teams then as well.

"The AP and our voters have no idea what a spring football season will look like. But we are open to adapting and finding a way for our Top 25 voters to be involved in ranking teams if real games are played in the spring of 2021," Giarrusso said.

The AP All-America team will be conducted in a similar manner. All players, even those who have opted out of the season, are eligible for inclusion in the preseason team.

At the end of the fall season, only those who have played will be eligible for postseason honors, including the AP player and coach of the year awards, also presented by Regions Bank. If a spring season is played, the AP will consider naming an All-America team afterward.

Rutgers coach reveals results

Rutgers has had at least 30 football players test positive for COVID-19 since the team returned to campus in mid-June.

Coach Greg Schiano released the information Friday during his first conference call since the Big Ten decided not to play football this fall.

Schiano, who was hired in December for a second tour with the struggling Scarlet Knights, said the majority of the positive tests came in the past three weeks after the team suspended activity due to a report of six positives. There were only four positive tests the first six weeks.

Schiano said there were 30 or 31 total cases and all the players are doing well. Only two remain quarantined. Half the group showed no symptoms, he said, and the worst case was like a very bad flu in which the player sweated "through the sheets."

All the players who have tested positive are receiving full cardiac workups, the coach said. There has been concern about myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart that has been found in some COVID-19 patients.

Schiano said the coronavirus pandemic has taught him that speculating is a waste of time. He thought the team was doing well, and suddenly it was sidelined.

"It was like getting hit by a 2-by-4 when all the cases happened," Schiano said.

There are estimates the lack of a football season will cost Rutgers $50 million. Schiano said there will have to be some belt tightening. He said he has talked to athletic director Pat Hobbs and he will keep his 10% salary cut in place.

Schiano did not want to talk about how the pandemic has affected the team, noting that many people have either died or suffered a family tragedy.

"We are going to be fine," Schiano said. "A lot of people lost loved ones who are not going to be with them, so I have tried to share that with our players. Let's keep this all in perspective. It's adversity, sure, because it is not what we are used to. It's not what we thought would happen. But in the grand scheme of things, we've got it pretty good."

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