Southeastern Conference Athletic Directors are meeting this week in Orlando. Incoming UGa Athletic Director Greg McGarity is taking part in the sessions, even though he doesn't officially begin his new job in Athens until the first of September. McGarity is leaving his associate AD's job with the University of Florida to fill the office vacated by last month's resignation of former UGa Athletic Director Damon Evans. Evans stepped down after his DUI arrest in Atlanta.

The University of Georgia's next athletic director will be former UGa assistant AD Greg McGarity. McGarity  is an associate athletic director at the University of Florida. He'll take over for interim AD Frank Crumley, who was appointed to the post after Damon Evans' resignation. Evans stepped down as the University of Georgia's Athletic Director after his July DUI arrest in Atlanta.

(AP) An Atlanta official says a court hearing for former University of Georgia athletic director Damon Evans on a drunken driving charge has been postponed.

Atlanta Municipal Court administrator Doug Mincher said Thursday that the hearing for the 40-year-old Evans, which had been scheduled for Monday, has been postponed until Oct. 4 at the request of Evans' attorney, Steve Weiner.

Evans was arrested last week and charged with drunken driving and failure to maintain a lane. The arresting officer's report said Evans asked to be let off with a warning and had a pair of ladies' panties between his legs when his car was stopped on an Atlanta street with a 28-year-old woman as a passenger.

Evans resigned as athletic director in Sunday.

(AP) University of Georgia football coach Mark Richt says he is saddened to lose athletic director Damon Evans, but he doesn't believe it will hurt the university's sports program. Richt spoke with reporters for the first time Wednesday about Evans, who resigned last weekend following a drunken driving arrest in Atlanta. Richt says the football team is "just going to go on with life and take care of business," regardless of who is in charge of UGA athletics. He said he's exchanged voicemail with Evans but has yet to speak to him. He praised UGA President Michael Adams' handling of the situation and said interim AD Frank Crumley was a good choice because he's a "very sharp guy." Adams has named a search committee to find Evans' permanent replacement.

Frank Crumley, an associate director in the University of Georgia's Athletic Department, will serve as an interim AD while the University conducts a search for a full-time replacement for the departed Damon Evans. University President Michael Adams made the announcement in an afternoon news conference at the Georgia Center. Damon Evans, UGa's AD for the past six years, submitted his resignation Sunday, doing so on the heels of last Wednesday's DUI arrest in Atlanta.

University of Georgia President Michael Adams meets the media today: it's a 2 o'clock press conference that was scheduled before the Damon Evans DUI arrest, the arrest that led to Evans' resignation as the Athletic Director at the University of Georgia.

The Board of the University of Georgia Athletic Association--meeting via conference call--has accepted the terms of the resignation settlement with UGa Athletics Director Damon Evans. The resignation is effective Tuesday. It comes less than a week after the 40 year-old Evans was arrested on a drunk driving charge in Atlanta. Under the terms of the agreement, Evans--the University's Athletic Director since 2004--gets a $100,000 longeivity bonus and will also receive three months salary. Evans has a first court appearance scheduled for next Monday in Atlanta.  

University President Michael Adams released the following statement regarding Evans' resignation:

"Yesterday, July 4, 2010, University of Georgia Athletics Director Damon Evans submitted his resignation, which I have accepted. As I said on Thursday morning when I first learned of the situation, this is not an example of the kind of leadership that I expect our senior administrators to set. I have high regard for Damon personally; I care deeply about him and his family.

"Under a separation agreement and release endorsed today by the executive committee of the board of directors of the University of Georgia Athletic Association, Mr. Evans will receive a $100,000 longevity bonus for his prior service, in accordance with the terms of his contract, as well as 3 months' salary as severance. We acknowledge the many positive accomplishments of his tenure, including an increased focus on the academic success of student-athletes, the overall financial strength of the athletic department and the hiring of many very good people as head coaches and senior leaders in the athletic department.

"I will address the future leadership of the athletic department during my regularly scheduled media briefing at 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 6, in Mahler Auditorium at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education."

A vacationing University of Georgia President Michael issued Thursday the following statement on Wednesday's arrest of UGa Athletics Director Damon Evans:

UGA Athletic Director Damon Evans informed me early this morning of his arrest and provided me an account of the events of last night. Drinking and driving is a serious matter, and I was extremely disappointed to hear of the arrest. Certainly this is not an example of the kind of leadership that I expect our senior administrators to set. I have high regard for Damon personally; I care deeply about him and his family and know him to be a man of integrity. He has sincerely apologized to me for the embarrassment this has brought upon the university. I was notified of this matter while away on vacation and will reserve further action pending a full review by staff and legal counsel.

He issued an apology, but he did not offer a resignation: University of Georgia Athletics Director Damon Evans met the media in a Thursday afternoon news conference in UGa's Rankin Smith Center, hours after his release from an Atlanta jail. The 40 year-old Evans was arrested late Wednesday night near Chastain Park in Atlanta and charged with driving under the influence. A female passenger in his car--28 year-old Courtney Fuhrmann--was also arrested. She's charged with disorderly conduct. University President Michael Adams, away on vacation, issued a statement expressing his disappointment with Evans. 

We learn this afternoon the name of the woman who was a passenger in the car with University of Georgia Athletic Director Damon Evans at the time of his DUI arrest in Atlanta.  28 year-old Courtney Furhmann reportedly faces a disorderly conduct charge. Evans, 40, was pulled over just before midnight last night, stopped by a Georgia State Trooper near Chastain Park in Atlanta. The State Patrol says Evans refused to take a breathalyzer test but did fail a field sobriety test. Evans will hold a news conference this evening at the University of Georgia's Rankin Smith Center. That news conference will be broadcast live here on the New FM 103.7.

 The University of Georgia will release a statement later today on last night's DUI arrest in Atlanta: UGa Athletic Director Damon Evans is facing a drunk driving charge after a traffic stop in northwest Atlanta, near Chastain Park. A University of Georgia spokesman says Evans was pulled over by the Georgia State Patrol, who also leveled undisclosed charges against a passenger in Evans' car.

University of Georgia President Michael Adams is defending the hefty salary increase granted UGa Athletic Director Damon Evans. The Board of the University of Georgia Athletic Association voted earlier this week to boost Evans' pay by $90,000 per year, bringing his annual salary to $550,000. President Adams says that's in line with the average salary for Athletic Directors in the Southeastern Conference.

People for Ethical Treatment of Animals has a suggestion for the University of Georgia, which is looking for a replacement for Uga VII, the Georgia Bulldog mascot who died last week in Savannah: PETA says the University should use what it calls an "animatronic dog," or use a person in a costume. PETA has sent its suggestion via e-mail to University of Georgia Athletic Director Damon Evans. The PETA e-mail follows...

 

In the wake of the untimely death of the University of Georgia's (UGA) bulldog mascot, Uga VII, PETA has asked the school's athletic director, Damon M. Evans, to replace the mascot with an animatronic dog--or to rely solely on a costumed mascot--instead of using another real bulldog. Bulldogs are prone to breathing difficulties, hip dysplasia, heart disorders, and other congenital ailments, and acquiring a dog from a breeder perpetuates the animal overpopulation crisis while causing another dog waiting in an animal shelter to be condemned to death.

 

"It is time for the university to put an end to the cycle of suffering endured by dogs who are brought into the world solely to represent the school's 'brand'," says PETA Assistant Director Kristie Phelps. "By choosing a humane alternative to the use of live animals as school mascots, UGA can show that compassion always wins."