Imperfect 10

Hollings, nine other Yellow Jackets declared ineligible

ATLANTA (AP) -- Georgia Tech has declared 10 football players academically ineligible for next season, including leading rusher Tony Hollings.

Thursday's announcement came a day after nine Georgia players were declared ineligible by the NCAA for selling their 2002 Southeastern Conference championship rings.

"I'm disappointed for these young men," coach Chan Gailey said. "I hope that they will work toward continuing their education, and we will do everything we can to help them.

"This is a challenging school with high academic standards that will not be compromised."

Hollings, who suffered a season-ending knee injury near the end of the fourth game last season, ran for 633 yards in his limited action and was leading the nation in rushing at the time. He had surgery on the knee and was expected back for fall practice.

Starting defensive end Tony Hargrove, who had 49 tackles and four sacks last season, and reserves Anthony Lawston, Kingi McNair and Michael Sampson also will miss next season. The other players weren't identified by the school, which cited the privacy issues, but a third starter was declared ineligible, too.

"A degree from Georgia Tech is something special," Gailey said. "We constantly work with our players to make sure that they understand their responsibilities and have the resources to succeed."

 

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