Kirby Smart on allegations Darnell Washington took money from Vols during recruitment
Among the questions Georgia football coach Kirby Smart received at the 2023 SEC Media Days included one about an explosive claim that came out of the NCAA investigation into Tennessee's recruiting practices, a report that alleged former Bulldogs tight end Darnell Washington received money from people in the Vols program during his recruiting process.
Smart responded by telling reporters that he didn't know about the allegations until that report came out, and added that Georgia was not part of the investigation.
"We don't get involved with any kind of NCAA investigation," Smart said.
"I wasn't aware of it, or knew about it, or had anything to do with it. I saw the reports, like you guys did."
Knoxville News Sentinel reported that Washington received money from then-assistant Brian Niedermeyer during the recruiting process when the tight end was being courted by the Volunteers program.
Niedermeyer was one of the many assistants who worked under then-Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt who was implicated in the NCAA investigation and was slapped with a five-year show-cause penalty.
The report claims that Washington received cash in a parking lot from the assistant, who was with the player's family on the flight to his visit to the school.
Washington eventually committed to Georgia over Tennessee, ultimately landing in the NFL as a third-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The NCAA announced its penalties against Tennessee in the Pruitt affair, including an $8 million fine, a six-year show-cause penalty for Pruitt himself, and the loss of over two dozen scholarships, but notably not a ban on playing in the postseason.
Georgia plays at Tennessee on Nov. 18 of this coming football season.
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