This man has never been afraid to go all out for his players! Kirby Smart has never been shy about protecting his players. Smart’s focus is not to provide the press with what they want, especially when it endangers the team he is responsible for. Sadly, that did not prevent Towers from writing an op-ed that portrayed Smart’s privacy policy as a threat to journalists.

This time, the focus is on player suspensions and media freedom, leading to Smart’s banter with Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Chip Towers. Smart stated in the press conference that he would never reveal the identity of the players who have been suspended on a weekly basis.

His reasoning? He does not wish his players to feature on reports of the reporter or have individuals explaining the reason why they are being punished. It is, right, and one would have expected the media to appreciate it. But no, instead, Towers twists the story in an entirely different direction. He emphasizes how with the new SEC availability reports, Smart would have to disclose precisely the information he wants to keep secret.

The twist? Kirby Smart said these availability reports wouldn’t change how he handles suspensions. However, this was the central part of the story that was missing in Towers’ article, which created an impression that Smart would one day yield. As if Towers could not believe that Georgia could also have its style of shielding its players from the media’s harsh scrutiny. Worse still, Towers said that one of the ESPN personalities was in the habit of leaking information from Smart, hence bias. But Smart doused that rather fast, responding that he did not discuss suspensions with anyone from ESPN. 

The real issue: why Kirby Smart’s approach protects his players

The suspension story of Trevor Etienne and other players had turned sinister due to the coverage of media in revealing each and every story. This process, which should have remained within the team and employees, has become what can be referred to as a circus. Kirby Smart’s failure to reveal who was or was not suspended—saying he wanted to spare his players from more rumor—has only helped to stir the pot. Instead of appreciating Smart’s strategy, journalists have sought to pursue more information, changing the direction towards something that is more juicy. Such media coverage distorts concern to the players’ maturity and welfare and turns them into mere game pieces.

For Trevor Etienne and others involved, the perpetual ‘attention’ has brought forth the lack of privacy. Such athletes, who are still young and growing, are placed on a pedestal they do not choose, and the story of suspension turns into one that overshadows their talent on the playing field. What should have been a straightforward case of internal discipline has now turned out to be a public spectacle. It distorts the issue completely and unwarrantedly builds huge pressure on the players involved. Coach Kirby Smart’s attempt at keeping his team away from this kind of situation serves not only to protect his players’ privacy. It is also a way of saying that not everything they go through needs the world to pick it apart.