ATHENS, Ga. — One Georgia football player is coming under intense scrutiny on Monday after cell phone video surfaced of him seemingly celebrating with Ole Miss fans after the Bulldogs' loss.
The video, which was posted to X by recruiting platform On3, shows defensive back Jake Pope on the field jumping up and down and smiling with several Ole Miss fans before giving them hugs. No. 3 Georgia was upset by No. 16 Ole Miss by a final of 28-10 at Vaught Hemingway Stadium on Saturday.
The video can be seen below:
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart was asked about the video that showed Pope's celebration and what his reaction to it was. Smart added context that Pope was catching up with a longtime friend who goes to Ole Miss and went to high school with him at Buford High.
"What an idiot. I mean, just stupid," Smart said. "I didn't see it until today, but he's embarrassed by it. He's upset about it. That's obviously a childhood friend of his that he grew up and played with there at Buford. (He) knows him, hadn't seen him in forever. But, just not real smart. But to be honest with you, I don't have time to waste energy on that. I mean, you know what I'm saying? My focus is on Tennessee. I'm not worried about that."
Pope took to social media himself to apologize to Georgia Bulldogs fans. In the apology note, Pope said, "This is not representative of who I am in any way. In no way, shape, or form would I ever celebrate a loss in this program, and anyone who knows me well knows that."
The Georgia defensive back explained that longtime family friends had come up to him unexpectedly as he was trying to get off the field to safety as fans stormed Vaught Hemingway Stadium. He said he was "surprised" to see them and reacted the way that he did.
He went on to end the letter to Bulldog Nation by saying, "Lastly, and once again, I'm sorry to my teammates, coaches, and fans all around about the way that video looked, and I choose to move forward and get ready for a great rest of the season with my brothers. Go dawgs."