Quick Chat: Richard LeCounte

By John Frierson
Staff Writer

Richard LeCounte can do a great many things very well. The Georgia senior safety is an excellent football player, is regularly cited as the funniest player on the team, and he takes great pride in his ability to juggle, parallel park and untie knots, among many other skills.

But he cannot whistle. And it bothers him a little bit.

It was during previous Quick Chats — 2018 and 2019 — that LeCounte, from little Riceboro, Ga., a tiny place of about 800 residents located 40 miles south of Savannah, revealed some of his surprising abilities, like the juggling and knot untying.

During a Quick Chat after practice Tuesday, as the third-ranked Bulldogs prepare for Saturday's big game at No. 2 Alabama, LeCounte talked about video games, tuning out outside distractions, giving back, not being able to whistle and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:

Frierson: You've talked in the past about being a really good juggler, being good at untying knots — still the most random thing anyone's ever told me they were good at — and several other things. What did you get better at during the quarantine shutdown, when you had a good amount of time on your hands?

LeCounte: I'm glad you asked that [laughs], Call of Duty: Warzone is my new habit. I'm addicted to it. It's put aside during football season — I spend so much time up here at the Butts (Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall), but when I get home I have an hour or two to spare, after homework and things like that. I'll play a little bit of Call of Duty with my friends back home.

Frierson: How competitive do you get with games like that?

LeCounte: That's the only reason why I'm doing it, it's basically a strategy game and I can't beat it every time. And that's what keeps me coming back, because I want to win every game and I can't win every game. That kills me, but it definitely keeps me coming back.

Frierson: When you have a game week like this where at least to the outside world this game is bigger than any of the other ones you've played, how do you avoid the distractions that come with all the hype and talk surrounding Georgia-Alabama?

LeCounte: I stay off social media, I'm always off social media before games like this, as well as the TV and things like that. Me and my girlfriend, we always just watch Netflix and stuff like that, and not have the cable. That's how I do it, I stay away from things — just coming in and having that tunnel vision and focus on football and school, and just being a regular person during the week.

Frierson: Now that you're a senior and you've been here a while, do you feel like an old man on the team? Is there a generational gap between you and the freshmen when it comes to things like cultural references or players you looked up to when you were young?

LeCounte: Definitely, man. These guys, there is a little bit of a generational thing and I try to relate as much as I can. Those guys are funny and we still have a good time.

Frierson: Who was the first player you really looked up to?

LeCounte: I'd have to say Ed Reed (the Hall of Fame safety), he was the first guy that I looked up to as far as football. I wanted to be able to play like he played, at the speed he played at. I'd like to play just like him.

Frierson: I watched a lot of the NBA playoffs in the bubble down at Disney World. How would you have handled bubble life? Would you embrace it or would it make you a little stir crazy after a while?

LeCounte: I would have loved the bubble, man. Just focusing in and playing football. I would have had fun doing it.

Frierson: What's something you've tried to get good at and just couldn't?

LeCounte: Whistling, definitely whistling. I stink at whistling.

Frierson: Is that something you've put much effort into?

LeCounte: Yes, and it's aggravating.

Frierson: What does it mean to you to be helping out the community with the Dawgs For Pups initiatives, raising money for WiFi hotspots and getting people to donate snacks for local kids and families.

LeCounte: It means a lot, man, just to see one step forward in the right direction in this community. We're trying to help this place and make it a better place to live.

Frierson: When you think of home, what comes to mind?

LeCounte: I don't know, man, I haven't been home in so long. I think about the great food and the great energy of all the people around. I think of a lot of grass and great and just feeling free. There's just a lot about home that I love.

Frierson: What was your best moment in high school? Is there one that stands out above the rest?

LeCounte: Winning the (2016 GHSA Class AAAA basketball) state championship my junior year. It feels great, it's just an experience that you'll never feel again. Being there with your childhood friends and working together and all of y'all making something big happen.

It brought our community together — they used to shut down the Walmarts and all of that stuff back home because it was such a big deal, us playing. I know for sure the crime rate and the traffic [laughs] were going down because everybody was at the basketball game.

Frierson: That's a big deal if you're shutting down a Walmart.

LeCounte: No doubt.

(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)

Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.

Players Mentioned

Richard LeCounte

Related Videos