Maurice Smith granted conditional waiver to transfer within SEC

There is now nothing stopping Maurice Smith from heading to Georgia.

The former Alabama defensive back has been granted a conditional release to transfer within the SEC.

The Crimson Tide were initially blocking Smith's graduate transfer because he was planning to join Georgia, but finally approved a full release Wednesday. This waiver now paves the way for Smith to join the Bulldogs.

"Graduate transfer rules were established with the intent to be grounded in the academic interests of the student-athlete," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said. "This conditional waiver permits Maurice Smith to receive financial aid to pursue his stated academic goals at the school of his choice while connecting his athletic participation directly to those goals."

Smith's departure from Alabama was contentious, as the senior accused the team of throwing his belongings in the trash and banning him from the athletic facility once he made his intentions to leave known.

Alabama initially defended its stance, even though Smith pointed out they let receiver Chris Black transfer to an SEC school, Missouri, earlier in the year.

Georgia is a different situation, though, as Smith played under current Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart when he was the defensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide.