There hasn't been much in the way of Georgia football this season, despite only what has transpired off the field. Reckless driving has become a serious issue for the program, and head coach Kirby Smart has taken some time to acknowledge it.
Sophomore cornerback Daniel Harris was arrested on September 13 for reckless driving and four other misdemeanor charges, and wide receiver Rara Thomas was charged on three traffic incidents (per The Tennessean) during the offseason. On Tuesday, Smart voiced his frustration and concern over when this lingering trend is going to stop in Athens.
“We continue to have guys make poor decisions, you know? It’s very unfortunate,” Smart said, per Thomas Goldkamp of ON3 Sports.
Georgia football has had its issues in previous seasons as well. The culture is swirling out of control, and Smart needs to work on getting some sort of grasp on it. He suspended Thomas from the team in July, but there haven't been many other instances that come to mind where players had to be disciplined internally.
Kirby Smart believes in Georgia football's methods, despite continuous off-field issues
When student-athletes are getting arrested at a rapid rate, and have this volume of off-field incidents, then clearly the plan isn't working. Whatever plan that may be at this point. Smart continues to back his program, but how can anyone look at Georgia's program without some level of distain? Players are fined, and are losing NIL dollars because of things that can clearly be avoided.
“I always talk about process and outcomes. I talk about that in wins and losses, that we try not to base things on the outcomes in wins and losses. In this situation, the outcomes are very disappointing. Our process and the things we’ve put in place, I feel very strongly about,” Smart said. “We do as much or more education than anybody in the country.
“As far as I know, there’s not one team that has ever suspended a player for a traffic violation. That’s what Marcus Rosemy got suspended for. I don’t know that anybody has kicked anybody off the team for that, and we have that. We’re going to continue to be proactive. It’s repeated behaviors that will get you dismissed. Repeated poor behaviors and poor decisions. In some cases we have repeated behaviors. In some cases, we have guys that make mistakes. We’re gonna punish them.”
The Bulldogs have a tough road to the College Football Playoff, and they need to be locked in if they want to avoid sitting at home again like last season. The off-field issues are their biggest obstacle to reaching another national championship.
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