DALLAS — Georgia players are facing suspensions for driving violations, coach Kirby Smart confirmed Tuesday, but a separate internal punishment, fines imposed by the team’s association, has been in place for some time, Smart said.
“Our Classic City Collective has been issuing significant fines for this type of behavior for over a year now,” Smart said. “This is not something new. It’s something outside of my jurisdiction that they have decided to enforce and have enforced at significant cost.”
Georgia The problem of driving-related arrests continues. Including two from last weekSeven players were arrested on driving-related charges. Car accident in January 2023 Killed the player Devin Willock Police found that staff member Chandler LeCroy had been drinking and was racing with the then-player. Jalen Carter.
safety David Daniel SisavantHe was arrested in February for reckless driving and dismissed from the program for what Coach Smart called only a violation of team rules.
A speeding ticket was issued and the staff (Jarvis Jones) was arrested for speeding. Another athlete, Jamon Dumas Johnsonhad been arrested last year for a street racing incident that occurred prior to the accident.
Smart declined to say what the suspension would entail, saying receiver Marcus Rosemie Jacksan He was suspended for speeding. As this season approaches, running back Trevor Etienne (Drunk driving) Linebacker Smael Mondon (reckless driving, racing) A suspension is likely, but Smart said he would not announce the suspension in advance.
“When something like that happens, I don’t think it’s necessarily the right thing to go out in the town square and publicly shame kids,” Smart said. “They’ve been through a lot, and there’s a lot of regret these young people have that they made mistakes. But our job is to continue to educate and develop these young people.”
Yet, given the spate of arrests following horrific car accidents, why have disciplined programs failed to curb the problem?
“That’s a great question,” Smart said. “I’d love to hear any possible solutions, because we actually write it down every time we talk about this issue, every time we address this issue, and someone listens to it every time we have a meeting. Before I came on, this issue had been mentioned 162 times.
“But if people say, ‘Well, that’s going to be ignored, you have to be disciplined, you have to discipline somebody,’ then we have done that and we will continue to do that. If that’s what the behavior requires, we’ll do what’s necessary to get there. But I think an effective way to curb some things is to look in their wallets and find them, because these fines are significant and they’re going to make you rethink the mistakes you’ve made.”
Georgia has adopted what Smart called “positive education,” such as driving safety courses, but he also defended its disciplinary procedures.
“As far as I know, there’s no team in the country that has ever suspended a player for a traffic violation. Marcus Rosemey was suspended for a traffic violation,” Smart said. “I don’t know if any team has ever kicked a player off their team for a traffic violation. We are that type of team. We’re going to continue to deal with it aggressively. Repeated behaviors lead to dismissal. Repeated bad behaviors, bad decisions. Sometimes you have players that have repeated behaviors and mistakes, and we discipline those players.”
Senior Quarterback Carson Beck, Famous Lamborghini driversBeck was asked whether “driving a fast car” sent the wrong message, to which he took offense.
“I want to be clear: I don’t like fast cars, but I like cars. Of course, my car is 100% fast, but I don’t drive like an idiot,” Beck said. “Of course, it’s fun to talk about, but this is a serious issue for our team. But we have hundreds of players, and the majority of them are very focused and very good, but some of them obviously made mistakes and there are consequences for that.
“Given the tragedy that occurred two years ago, it is paramount that players be aware to be intentional in the moment. … Arriving five minutes early doesn’t change anything. Slow down and follow the rules.”
(Kirby Smart Photo: Kirby Lee/USA Today)
