Georgia announced the suspension of two players Thursday, as sophomore wide receiver Nitro Tuggle and offensive lineman Marques Easley have been suspended indefinitely for unrelated incidents.
Tuggle was arrested at 1:56 a.m. Thursday on speeding/maximum limit and reckless driving charges after he was pulled over by police in Athens-Clarke County. He was released on a $26 bond.
On Monday, a white Dodge was involved in a crash in Watkinsville, which is near Athens in Oconee County.
According to an incident report obtained by Marc Weiszer of the Athens-Banner Herald, Easley was involved in that incident. According to Weiszer, the report said that a white Dodge Challenger lost control, leaving the roadway and striking a power distribution box with its front. The Dodge then rotated clockwise and struck the passenger side of a Hyundai Elantra with its passenger side and a Mercedes-Benz CLA with its driver’s side.
Also, Georgia State Patrol corporal Cory Andrews confirmed to Grady Newsource that the incident involved a member of the Georgia football team. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Tuggle is a sophomore from Goshen, Indiana, and appeared in eight games last season for Georgia. He caught three passes for 34 yards for the Bulldogs. Tuggle is expected to be a bigger part of the wide receiver group at Georgia.
Easley is a redshirt freshman from Peoria, Illinois. He appeared in two games last season.
With regard to Tuggle, while his is the first arrest of the offseason, it is not the first time in recent history that Georgia has dealt with driving-related issues.
Georgia dismissed safety David Daniel-Sisavanh from the team last July. Running back Trevor Etienne and cornerback Daniel Harris both missed games last season following driving-related arrests.
“Everybody wants to know what game and are they suspended,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said at last year’s SEC Media days. “That’s probably not the most important thing in terms of the discipline and culture they’ve got to experience. 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.”
Traditionally Georgia has tried to keep suspensions behind closed doors. It never announced a suspension for Etienne or Harris last season.
The Bulldogs are set to practice Thursday, having their fifth of the spring. Georgia opens the 2025 season against Marshall on Aug. 30.
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