The Georgia Bulldogs have been great on the field since Kirby Smart took over as head coach, but off the field has been a far different story.
Since January 2022, more than 10 Bulldogs have been arrested; and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that in Smart’s seven-year tenure, women have come forward and accused 11 players of some form of abuse. Incoming freshman defensive tackle Jamaal Jarrett was not charged but was investigated in connection with a sexual assault claim during a visit to Georgia when he was 16 years old, and it was reported that Jarrett missed curfew and had been drinking that night as well.
Former linebacker Adam Anderson, who was charged in connection with with separate rape incidents, entered a plea deal in July, pleading down two felony rape charges to misdemeanor sexual battery with a maximum of 12 months of jail time.
Driving-related offenses have been a major issue for Georgia during Smart’s tenure. In fact, there have been over 300 driving offenses since Smart took over the program.
The most notable of the above-mentioned issues is the tragic car crash that included Jalen Carter, who was cited with reckless driving for “drag racing” with the other vehicle that eventually crashed. The crash took the lives UGA recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy, whose blood alcohol limit was .197, and offensive lineman Devin Willock.
In March, Georgia Bulldogs RB Trevor Etienne was arrested for DUI and reckless driving. His probable one-game suspension adds to the increasingly lawless image of coach Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs program. Georgia continues to play with a fire that is reminiscent of Florida’s Urban Meyer era.
Georgia policy calls for a 10 percent of the schedule suspension for players arrested on DUI. In Etienne’s case, that should amount to one game, the season opener against Clemson. Georgia won’t commit to anything until the legal process plays out. But words such as “consequences” have been tossed out in appeasement attempts. This normally means there won’t be much in the way of consequences at all.
Previously, Football team members who have been arrested on such charges have been suspended for games. However, Smart has not confirmed those suspensions until after the games.
Georgia Bulldogs Taking Massive Amounts Of NIL Money Away From Players Involved In Traffic Arrests
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, players, or other members of the UGA football program, have been charged by police for DUI, reckless driving or speeding 24 times in the last 18 months since the January 2023 car crash that killed player Devin Willock and staff member Chandler LeCroy. Police blamed the accident on excessive speed, racing and alcohol.
Facing questions about what Smart is doing to address concerns, the coach said the Classic City NIL Collective has been fining players involved in traffic-related incidents. It’s one of the first times fines have been acknowledge publicly.
This is a creative strategy from the Georgia Bulldogs to combat the disturbing trend.
“Our Classic City Collective for over a year has been substantially fining guys for those things,” Smart said in Dallas, according to On3’s Dawgs HQ. “That’s not something that’s new. That’s something that’s been ongoing outside of my jurisdiction that they decided to implement and have done for a considerable amount.”
Matt Hibbs, the founder and CEO of Classic City, told On3 on Tuesday afternoon the collective is not fining any Georgia football players. Instead, the organization withholds or deducts scheduled payments for players charged with car-related incidents.
The penalty is part of the agreement signed between the athlete and the collective. Hibbs cautioned that athletes are not being fined, as athletes are not considered employees. The decision to withhold payment came from conversations between Smart and Hibbs on how to address the ongoing situation.
Hibbs told On3 the collective has withheld roughly six figures over the last two years. He declined to give a more specific figure. It’s clear the Georgia Bulldogs understand the need to clean up their image off the field and are taking drastic action to fix the problem.
