A.J. Green sympathizes with Cam Newton

A.J. Green has been through the public glare of an NCAA investigation, so he knows what Cameron Newton feels like.

So even though Green’s Georgia football team will square off with Newton and Auburn next week, Green feels a measure of sympathy for the Auburn quarterback.

“Just one of the worst feelings you can have, when you’re a great player and you’ve got that hanging over your head, and you’ve got people asking you,” Green said after Saturday’s 55-7 win over Idaho State. “You don’t wanna go out, you’ve got people asking you about that, what’d you do. It’s the worst feeling.”

Green was suspended the first four games of this season after the NCAA found that he sold a jersey to someone it defined as an agent.

The NCAA has been investigating Newton’s recruitment, a fact that became public on Thursday. Newton is considered the Heisman Trophy front-runner, and the Tigers are ranked No. 2 in the country.

“All I’ve got to say to him: You’ve got to keep your head strong, keep his focus,” Green said. “You’ve gotta keep playing. That’s the only thing that’s gonna help him, if he keeps playing. Because if he goes out there and has a bad game, they’re gonna try and blame that on that, or something like that. But that’s one of the worst feelings.”

A few other postgame notes from the Georgia locker room:

- UGA school president Michael Adams made a point of shaking defensive coordinator Todd Grantham's hand. Adams briefly interrupting Grantham's media session to offer his congratulations.

Grantham, of course, spent last week being criticized for the choke gesture he made against Florida.

- Head coach Mark Richt didn't have an update on nose tackle Kwame Geathers, who left the game with an ankle injury. Receiver Logan Gray took a shot to the jaw also. He does expect receiver Kris Durham, who missed the game with a bruised lung, to be ready for the Auburn game.