Kirby Smart's Gesture to Brent Key After Georgia-Georgia Tech Game Was Pure Class

This was pure class and sportsmanship from Smart.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key talks to Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart after an eight overtime game at Sanford Stadium on November 29. 2024. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

No. 7 Georgia survived the mother of all scares vs. Georgia Tech on Friday, as the Bulldogs defeated the Yellow Jackets 44-42 in eight overtimes at Sanford Stadium, keeping its College Football Playoff hopes alive while denying the Yellow Jackets an upset in heartbreaking fashion.

After the game, a clearly-emotional Yellow Jackets coach Brent Key approached Georgia coach Kirby Smart for the traditional postgame handshake. But this moment was far from ordinary.

Smart pulled Key in for a long embrace, and the two coaches shared some words in a moment that personified true class and sportsmanship.

Here's video of the moment, courtesy of Maria Martin of 11Alive News.

A moment between Kirby Smart and Brent Key pic.twitter.com/4aFmGGFyG9

— Maria Martin (@Ria_Martin) November 30, 2024

I don’t care if you like or dislike Georgia and Kirby Smart… this moment was full of emotion and class, and was 100% the best moment of the night. pic.twitter.com/mX6ewRJXma

— Hannah Stephens (@TheUASignGirl) November 30, 2024

If it wasn't already apparent, it's clear now just how much respect Smart and Key have for each other. And Smart, who has been on the winning side plenty of times since he was named coach of the Bulldogs in December of 2015, demonstrated how to be the victor with consideration for the emotions of the human being on the other side.

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