Why Stetson Bennett didn't meet with media morning after Georgia won national championship

LOS ANGELES — Georgia football quarterback Stetson Bennett did a postgame press conference Monday night following his second national championship game MVP performance and put on a headset to talk to ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt on a mostly cleared-out SoFi Stadium field.

“I told them when the whistle sounds, my obligations to the media are done to the University of Georgia,” Bennett told Van Pelt on air. “I’m going to go have fun and celebrate.”

So Bennett didn’t take part in Tuesday's 9 a.m. champions press conference at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott along with coach Kirby Smart and defensive MVP Javon Bullard the day after the 65-7 rout of TCU.

It was announced before the start of the press conference that started more than 15 minutes behind schedule that tight end Brock Bowers would pinch hit for Bennett.

Smart was asked how Bennett was feeling Tuesday morning. That prompted Bullard to break out into a big smile.

“I don't know,” Smart said. “I didn't see him, obviously. “

Bennett partied and awoke bleary-eyed for the 9 a.m. press conference after last year’s national championship in Indianapolis. He first did a "Good Morning America" interview.

Bennett isn’t the first player to skip out on the champions press conference obligation. LSU’s Joe Burrow bowed out in the 2019 season after the Tigers won the national title in New Orleans.

Bowers got the word at the team’s downtown hotel Tuesday morning.

“For me I was coming off the elevator,” he said. “I saw Coach Smart and I started walking to go eat some breakfast. And I got a call and they said, you're in the bullpen, come to media. I'm like, OK, I'm in. Stetson is not going to make it. I guess I gotta go.”

Said Smart: “He always wanted to be in Stetson's shoes, so now he gets an opportunity.”

Bennett's brother, Luke, a walk-on at Georgia, posted on his Twitter account later Monday morning Stetson hanging out with family members at the hotel.

Bennett did answer questions after the game in a long media session with Smart and Bullard. He was asked what he wanted NFL teams to know about him as he pursues a pro career.

“I don't know,” he said. “I've been here long enough. I'm sure there's some game tape. I don't know -- hard worker, pretty good at football, smart. But they'll see that. I don't know. That will take care of itself. Today we're national champs.”

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Smart told the story of his 10-year old son Andrew getting emotional after the game Monday.

“I said, why are you crying? “ Smart said. “You're going to ruin my moment. He said, 'Stetson is leaving. He's going to go.'”

Smart told him: “He's 25 years old. He's got to go. He's got to leave.”

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Why Stetson Bennett didn't attend Tuesday's champions press conference