ATHENS — Kirby Smart provided an update on transfer wide receiver Colbie Young, as the Georgia coach finally had a chance to speak to him following Young’s arrest.
Smart shared that Young has been suspended indefinitely.
“Yeah, I got to speak to him this morning. He’s been suspended indefinitely until this legal matter is resolved,” Smart said on the SEC coaches teleconference call. “We can’t really comment any further on the specifics of it, but had a good meeting with him this morning. We’re committed to continuing to educate our players and do the best job we can of making sure they understand the serious nature of these incidents. It’s very unfortunate, but we want to be responsible in decision-making on and off the field. This is obviously a really tough situation, but he’s suspended indefinitely until the legal matter is resolved.”
Young was arrested Tuesday on misdemeanor charges of battery and assaulting an unborn child. The Georgia wide receiver was booked at 4:18 a.m. and released at 1:36 p.m.
Following Georgia’s practice Tuesday, Smart said he had not had the chance to speak to Young, who was not with the team at practice.
Through five games, Young has caught 11 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns. Young led Georgia in receiving yards Saturday, as he caught three passes for 51 yards in a win over Auburn.
Young is the seventh Georgia player to be arrested since March. Two of those arrests have led to players missing games, as running back Trevor Etienne and cornerback Daniel Harris each missed one game after their driving-related arrests.
Rara Thomas was dismissed from the team in August after he had been arrested on counts of family violence. It was the second time in his Georgia career that he had been arrested on family violence charges.
When asked by reporters, Malaki Starks shared his thoughts on Young’s arrest.
“Yeah, I mean it’s a big thing that we harp on a lot,” Starks said. “I’m praying for him. I can’t really say much about it. But they talk about it all the time, and we have guest speakers. The guys we have in the locker room, they’re amazing. So, I think like I said, I’m praying for him, and I wish the best.”
Georgia will put out an availability report Wednesday night to provide a better idea of who might be available for Saturday’s game against Mississippi State (4:15 p.m., SEC Network).
