The NCAA announced Wednesday morning that Georgia tailback Todd Gurley must sit out two more games and also said the school has appealed the ruling.
Georgia had applied for Gurley's reinstatement last week, after he had missed two games. Under the NCAA ruling, Gurley would be back for the Nov. 15 showdown with Auburn.
In a release, the NCAA said Gurley must sit out four games, or 30 percent of the season, for accepting more than $3,000 in cash from multiple individuals for autographed memorabilia and other items over two years. The release also said Gurley, who acknowledged violating NCAA rules, must repay a portion of the money received to a charity of his choice and complete 40 hours of community service as additional conditions for his reinstatement.
The NCAA said the 30 percent "withholding condition" is consistent with precedent in similar cases and that additional withholding was strongly considered because the violations occurred over multiple years with multiple individuals. But the organization said Georgia's "due diligence" in its investigation and Gurley's full disclosure were factors in not imposing a more severe penalty.
The release also said Georgia was notified of the NCAA's decision on Tuesday afternoon and that a committee that oversees the reinstatement process will review Georgia's appeal. The committee can reduce or remove the penalty, but cannot increase it. The Bulldogs play Florida on Saturday, then Kentucky on Nov. 8.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
