Atlanta Media Dials Up Hypocrisy Over Quinton Dial Hit

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Jeff Shultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is a hypocrite. Then again, so is Furman Bisher and most of the Atlanta sports media. But those are stories for another day. Today the story is Shultz.

Three years ago, in the aftermath of the Georgia-Florida game, Shultz had this to say about Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes’ eye-gouging of a Georgia player.

"Florida coach Urban Meyer’s apparent policy on eye-gouging is now clear. Only a successful blinding or maiming can result in a full-game suspension."

Shultz was evidently mourning the 41-17 Dawg-pounding Georgia took against the Gators. He went on to say that Meyer “suspended Brandon Spikes for only the first half of the Gators’ next game,” clearly insinuating that such a short suspension was nowhere nearly enough.

Fast forward to two weeks ago, when Shultz’ home-state team lost yet another meaningful game – mainly because its defense rolled over and played dead. When Georgia CB Sheldon Dawson eye-gouged Alabama’s Dee Milliner the SEC title game in Atlanta, Shultz barely mentioned it. Instead, he did what most savvy, agenda-driven journalists do. He deflected. Quinton Dial’s hit on Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray not only became the most questionable hit of the game. It became the only questionable hit of the game.

I am not suggesting that Dial’s hit was flagrant; It wasn’t. My conclusions are similar to the SEC office, which declined to take any action whatsoever because no action was warranted. Aaron Murray himself said he thought the hit was clean.

Shultz obviously disagrees, and he’s a hypocrite for doing so. Rather than boldly address the eye-gouging or even the severe helmet-to-helmet hit on Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron in the second quarter, Shultz put all of his limited brain power into the Dial hit.

It’s no mystery why Shultz, Tim Brando and “professionals” like them have taken up the “Suspend Quinton Dial” mantra. They, like most of America, are sick and tired of Alabama winning national titles against their team or their league. There can be no other explanation other than stupidity – a push for ratings would fall under the hypocrisy label – and neither I nor anyone else can attach that label to either with a straight face.

No, this smacks of agenda-driven media – and to be blunt, jealousy – with Alabama being the source of that envy.

Most thinking people, including those in the SEC office, saw no real difference in any of the three plays I just recounted. All were reviewed. No one was suspended by the league. That is as it should be. But to hear a handful of whiny, jealous, agenda-driven media types, Dial and Dial alone should be suspended.

These self-proclaimed journalists ought to be ashamed of themselves. Quinton Dial is about to play in his last college game. If self-righteous, agenda-driven media members had their way, he’d be watching from the sidelines while other eye-gougers and head-bangers were playing out the string in Orlando.

Talk about targeting a defenseless player.