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University of Georgia

The Tarnished Twenty has always upheld the dogma that size does matter, and so, as a result, has placed the University of Georgia in the seventh slot in its final 2000 Tarnished Twenty Rankings. Now, it's true that much more heinous acts were committed by schools ranked well below the Bulldogs. And it's true that this scandal, involving the illegal use of long-distance privileges, was mainly comprised of phone calls that were relatively inexpensive in their total cost. However, it's equally arguable that Georgia takes the cake this year for having one of the biggest group of players engaged in conduct that they must have known was immoral, against NCAA regulations, and criminal. For this reason, the 'Dawgs are in the doghouse, making the Top Ten.

Yes, the off-season was filled with phony antics for several members of the Georgia Football team. 16 Georgia players have been disciplined for their unauthorized use of a university long-distance telephone access code. Seven of them, who made long distance calls totaling over $50, were suspended for one game. The nine other players, who had racked up less than $50 in bills, were forced to pay restitution and do community service. All in all, the Dawgs racked up over $900 in phone calls.

If only they could have racked up offense like they did calls. The suspensions and distraction may have been a factor in key early season losses that dashed the talk of National Title hopes in the Peach State. On a positive note, it is good to see that the Georgia players weren't at all selfish about sharing their stolen access code with most of the team. But given the pure obviousness between right and wrong (this is kindergarten stuff, guys), Georgia is right up there with the most Tarnished in 2000.

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