Georgia Bulldogs take shocking action to deal with football players’ traffic-related arrests

Since Kirby Smart took over as head coach, the Georgia Bulldogs have been great on the field, but off the field things are a different story.

More than 10 Bulldogs have been arrested since January 2022; and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that in Smart’s seven-year term Women have come forward and accused eleven players of abuse allegations. No charges were filed against new freshman defensive tackle Jamaal Jarrett, but he was investigated in connection with an allegation of sexual assault that occurred during a visit to Georgia at age 16. Additionally, it was reported that Jarrett missed curfew and had also consumed alcohol that evening.

Former linebacker Adam Anderson, who was charged in connection with several rape incidents, signed a deal in July, two charges of aggravated rape reduced to minor sexual assault with a maximum sentence of 12 months in prison.

Traffic violations have been a major problem for Georgia during Smart’s tenure. In fact, there have been over 300 traffic violations since Smart took over the program.

The most notable of the above issues is the tragic car crash involving Jalen Carter. He was charged with reckless driving as part of a “drag race” with the other vehicle that eventually crashed. The crash killed UGA recruiter Chandler LeCroy, whose blood alcohol limit was .197, and offensive lineman Devin Willock.

In March, Georgia Bulldogs running back Trevor Etienne was arrested for drunk driving and reckless driving. His likely one-game suspension reinforces the increasingly lawless image of coach Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs program. Georgia continues to play with a fire reminiscent of the Urban Meyer era in Florida.

Georgia policy calls for a 10 percent suspension of the schedule for players arrested for drunken driving. In Etienne’s case, that was to be one game, the season opener against Clemson. Georgia won’t commit to anything until the legal process is complete. But in attempts to appease, words like “consequences” have been thrown around. That usually means there won’t be any major consequences at all.

Previously, members of football teams arrested on such charges were suspended from games, but Smart did not confirm these suspensions until after the games.

Georgia Bulldogs take huge amounts of NIL money away from players involved in traffic arrests

According to the Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionPlayers or other members of the UGA football program have been charged by police with drunken driving, reckless driving or speeding 24 times in the past 18 months since the January 2023 car crash that killed player Devin Willock and staff member Chandler LeCroy. Police blamed excessive speed, racing and alcohol for the crash.

When asked what Smart is doing to resolve the issues, the coach said the Classic City NIL Collective is penalizing players involved in traffic accidents. It is one of the first times that fines have been made public.

This is a creative strategy by the Georgia Bulldogs to counteract this disturbing trend.

“Our Classic City Collective has been fining people heavily for this kind of thing for over a year,” Smart said, according to On3’s Dawgs HQ in Dallas. “This is nothing new. This is something that’s been happening outside of my jurisdiction for quite some time, and they decided to implement it, and they’ve done so on a significant scale.”

Matt Hibbs, founder and CEO of Classic City, told On3 Tuesday afternoon that the association does not impose fines on Georgia football players. Instead, the organization withholds or deducts scheduled payments for players who have been charged in car accidents.

The penalty is part of the agreement between the athlete and the collective. Hibbs pointed out that athletes would not be penalized because they are not considered employees. The decision to withhold payment came after discussions between Smart and Hibbs about how to handle the ongoing situation.

Hibbs told On3 the collective has withheld approximately six figures over the past two years. He declined to provide a more specific number. It’s clear that the Georgia Bulldogs understand they need to clean up their image off the field as well, and are taking drastic measures to fix the problem.

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