Last week began with more headaches for the University of Georgia Bulldogs head football coach Kirby Smart, as two more players were arrested for driving-related offenses.
First-year offensive lineman Marques Easley was arrested on Friday, March 21 just a day after sophomore wide receiver Nitro Tuggle. Tuggle was not a key contributor last year, only pulling in three passes for a total of 34 yards, and Easley didn’t play a single snap. Both players have since been suspended since their incidents. These arrests are continuations of a troubling pattern of driving incidents that Smart has not found a way to get on top of.
Georgia’s history of driving-related incidents can be traced back to January of 2023, after staffer Chandler LeCroy and offensive lineman Devin Willock were tragically killed in a car crash that also injured offensive lineman Warren McClendon and recruiting staffer Victoria Bowles. In February 2023, linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson was arrested for misdemeanor charges of street racing and reckless driving. In that same month, lineman Aliou Bah was stopped for speeding and placed on probation. Wide receiver De’Nylon Morrissette was also pulled over for speeding not long after. The spree of incidents in February 2023 ended with linebacker Marvin Jones Jr. also cited for speeding.
In March of 2023, lineman Jalen Carter was booked in relation to the lethal crash in January and released on bond. May saw two more players arrested — Morrissette was cited for speeding, then arrested on charges of DUI, drug possession and driving on a restricted license. Wide receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint was also arrested and subsequently jailed for reckless driving and speeding. In July of that year, edge rusher Samuel M’Pemba was cited for speeding, defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins was arrested for failing to appear in court on a parking violation and player connection coordinator Jarvis Jones was stopped for speeding and reckless driving. That stretch marked the end of a turbulent 2023, and questions about Coach Smart’s disciplinary procedures (or lack thereof) became a prominent point of discussion amongst college football followers around the country.
2024 brought the Bulldogs little relief from run-ins with the law. In March 2024, running back Trevor Etienne Jr. was arrested and charged of DUI and reckless driving. In May, wide receiver Sacovie White was arrested on charges of reckless driving and driving down a one-way road. Two more incidents followed in July, as offensive lineman Bo Hughley and linebacker Smael Mondon were arrested for reckless driving in separate events. And finally, before the two arrests last week, cornerback Daniel Harris was arrested in September 2024 for a multitude of charges: reckless driving, affixing materials that reduce the visibility of windows/windshield, no proof of insurance and operation of an unregistered vehicle without a valid license plate.
All of this has led to a serious headache for Smart, who can’t seem to figure out how to get his players to stop getting into driving-related incidents with the law. According to Smart, player behavior had been discussed in the summer of 2024 about 162 times. The Bulldogs have tried suspensions, police talks and withholding NIL payments in an effort to change player behavior, all to seemingly no avail. According to Smart, Georgia Athletic Director Josh Brooks has also met with every player. However, none of this has seemed to work as discipline continues to be an issue.
Smart became the Bulldog’s head coach in 2016, so it seems like this problem may have developed independently from him, but there is the question of if his handling needs to become tougher to stop these issues. Smart has gone on record saying that he looks at these student-athletes as his own kids, and that he expects them to make some mistakes. But, with these most recent incidents marking the 31st and 32nd time that a Georgia football player has had a run-in with police in the past three years, perhaps it’s time to be less lenient if this happens again. If the players haven’t learned from the mistakes already made it might be time to come down hard on further, similar infractions. At this point, it has become clear the locker room culture at Georgia has a serious a problem, and it may need a shock to the system to correct course.
