Kirby Smart Putting His Platform for Players Where His Mouth Is

Over the last several months, the words "social injustice" have been uttered by hundreds of college football coaches across the country. A call for change has been made in press conferences in every conference, every level of football, and from every big name in the sport.

The one thing we haven't heard from a lot of these coaches, apart from their vocal support, is action.

Actions speak louder than words, right? It's a cliche as old as the social injustices in this country themselves. What are you doing to enact the change you so vocally aspire to see? Well, Kirby Smart and the Georgia football program are putting action to those voices.

Dawgs for Pups is a player-led initiative, started mainly by the football players at the University of Georgia in hopes of impacting the lives of those in need in the surrounding communities.

Their first initiative was to raise money in hopes of providing WiFi to those in the local area that did not have access to what has become a basic necessity in today's world. Especially during a time where Clarke County schools just recently opened to optional in-person schooling on Sept. 8. Without WiFi, there is no option for virtual schooling.

Their second initiative was to raise money to help the local food bank in hopes of providing food to those in need. Child hunger is a real issue in the Northeast Georgia area, and with the help of the Dawgs for Pups initiative, that burden will be drastically lightened.

Just how impactful has the Dawgs for Pups movement become? Well, in a little over two weeks, they have raised over $50K for their first two initiatives and they are going to continue to make impacts on those in need.

5️⃣0️⃣k & counting 📈 Let's keep it going 💪

Click here to donate wifi to students in need: https://t.co/TUzD6rQCRo pic.twitter.com/AtHKLjTrEz
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) September 10, 2020

This may seem like something that is simple, it may seem like something that is common, but it's not. This is a direct result of not only Georgia having great young men on its roster, future leaders of their communities, and individuals that are willing to use their voice and their platform to impact others. But it's also about a head football coach that is willing to allow those young men to use their platform.

It's not commonplace for coaches to listen to their players in the world of college football. Often times, it becomes an authoritarian leadership position. My way or the highway type of leadership.

Not Smart and his staff. Not Georgia.

When the video of Jacob Blake being shot in the back seven times brought the sporting world to a brief halt, Georgia didn't practice. They had a three-hour team meeting. Allowing players to express how they felt. Allowing players to discuss how they wanted to respond, and how they wanted to change the lives of those around them. In the words of Kirby Smart, "Football wasn't important that day."

Actions. Speaking much louder than the words of "Black Lives Matter." Speaking much louder than any social media post, or press conference acknowledging the injustices. Actions that will impact the very lives in which the injustices have occurred. Actions that only come from a coach putting his platform where his mouth is.

To find out how to donate to Dawgs for Pups, visit Athens Area Community Foundation or the Northeast Georgia Food Bank.

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top righthand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @BulldogMaven & follow us on Twitter at @DawgsDailySI.