Georgia coach Kirby Smart reacts to his player’s celebration with Ole Miss fans: ‘What an idiot’

If Ole Miss’ loss to Georgia wasn’t bizarre enough for the Bulldogs, video of backup safety Jake Pope appearing to celebrate with the Rebels fans storming the field after the game heightened the 28-10 loss a new level.

For Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, his reaction to Pope going viral on social media had a simple answer.

“What an idiot. I mean, just stupid,” Smart told the media.

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However, Smart provided some background information on why Pope was seen jumping up and down on the field.

“I haven’t seen it until today, but he’s embarrassed. He’s upset about it,” Smart said of Pope. “This is obviously a childhood friend; he grew up there in Buford and played with him. [Pope] knows him and hasn’t seen him in ages, but he’s just not particularly smart.

“To be honest, I don’t have time to waste my energy on this. Do you know what I mean? My focus is on Tennessee, I’m not worried about that.”

Pope also released a statement on the matter

“This is in no way representative of me,” Pope said in the statement. “In no way would I ever celebrate a loss in this program, and anyone who knows me well knows that. My longtime family friends unexpectedly approached me after the game as I attempted to leave the field.” brought to safety and were really happy to see me again after the game.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart (Petre Thomas-Imagn images/file)

“I was also surprised to see her and that’s why you saw the reaction I gave about the video,” he continued.

“In closing, I want to say again that I am completely sorry to my teammates, coaches and fans for how this video looked and I choose to move on and prepare for a great rest of the season with my brothers,” Pope said .

Pope previously played two seasons at Alabama before transferring to Georgia for this season. He has played three games for the Bulldogs so far.

Coming off their second loss of the season, the Bulldogs are 7-2 and could be facing elimination from the College Football Playoff this week when they host No. 6 Tennessee.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart (Petre Thomas-Imagn images/file)

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It’s the Bulldogs’ final ranked game of the season, but with three games left, a third loss would likely knock them out of the CFP standings even in the expanded format.

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