Georgia HC Kirby Smart admits he apologized to Michael Van Buren after the controversial in-game incident against Mississippi State

During the Week 7 game between the Georgia Bulldogs and Mississippi State Bulldogs, Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren was pushed by Georgia coach Kirby Smart. On Monday, Smart admitted that he did apologize to Van Buren for it.

"Absolutely, I have," Smart said. "After you guys said that in the press conference, I went back and watched it. I didn't realize that I ran into him. But I reached out to [Mississippi State head coach Jeff] Lebby that night and said the kid was great. Yesterday, I talked to [Van Buren] and told him there were no intentions or ill-will toward him at all."

Smart also explained how he was trying to get the attention of defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann at the time of the incident.

"If you've ever been on the sideline in a game, it's pandemonium. It's pandemonium when you're trying to change personnel and you've got 3-4 seconds to do it. I was trying to get Schumann's attention. But I reached out to the kid. He was great. He's a really good player in this league and got betteras the game went along."

Georgia secured a 41-31 victory but can ill afford to play like they did on Saturday if they want to go on the road and defeat the Texas Longhorns this upcoming week.

Will Kirby Smart be punished for this incident?

With Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart pushing an opposing player, fans have been speculating whether it will result in a fine or suspension. However, it appears that SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey is not going to issue any, as he told reporters on Monday.

"I am confident the contact was not intentional and the clear expectation is this conduct will not happen again," Sankey said via Bleacher Report.

While there is no expectation of any sort of punishment for Smart, it is clear that he will be watched carefully moving forward if he gets close to an opposing player. His explanation seemingly checks out so it's likely that he will remain on the sidelines against Texas.