AD: Georgia quickly determined Gurley broke rules

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) As Todd Gurley finishes up his four-game suspension, Georgia's athletic director said Tuesday that school officials determined within two days the star running back had taken money for autographs.

Greg McGarity said the school received the allegations against Gurley on Oct. 7, accompanied by a ''bothersome'' video purporting to show him in a car taking cash for autographs and memorabilia. Several media outlets have reported they were approached by broker Bryan Allen with the same allegations.

McGarity said the investigation was finished by Oct. 9 after the school interviewed another person who was in the car.

Gurley also confessed to violating NCAA rules.

''We knew there was another person in the car, we were provided information on who that person might be, our legal counsel followed up on that, had a conversation with him verifying certain facts,'' McGarity said. ''Todd verified certain facts. That's why it was a quick investigation.''

The NCAA handed Gurley a four-game suspension for taking $3,000 over a two-year period. He is eligible to return after Saturday's game at Kentucky.

''The evidence was there, the numbers were accurate,'' McGarity said. ''That's all there is to it.''

Georgia applied for Gurley's reinstatement after two games, citing the school's prompt handling of the situation and Gurley's honesty. The NCAA imposed a four-game penalty and indicated that it could have been more if not for the factors cited in the school's request.

''We always knew that was in play, but we were hoping some of the mitigating circumstances as far as our honesty, the way the university conducted the case, would help mitigate that,'' McGarity said. ''As you've seen in the report (from the NCAA), it actually lessened the penalty.''