ATHENS — Three Georgia football players saw charges against them dismissed or significantly reduced in recent weeks. But coach Kirby Smart still was not ready Tuesday to share whether a determination has been made on their availability for the Bulldogs’ season opener against Clemson.
Racing and reckless driving charges against senior linebacker Smael Mondon were dismissed Monday. Last week, reckless charges against freshman receiver Sacovie White also were dismissed. In July, junior running back Trevor Etienne had DUI charges dismissed, but he pleaded guilty to underage possession of alcohol and no contest to reckless driving.
Asked if any of that changed their status for the opener, Smart said, “We’ll deal with all that when it comes time.”
Mondon and Etienne are projected starters for the No. 1-ranked Bulldogs, who play 14th-ranked Clemson in the Aflac Kickoff game Aug. 31 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mondon practiced with the No. 1 defense in Saturday’s scrimmage, while Etienne did not participate in 11-on-11 work.
The Bulldogs generally don’t suspend players for driving offenses, though driving under the influence and under-age consumption are violations of UGA’s policy guidelines for athletes on substance abuse. And, typically, Smart doesn’t announce player suspensions in advance of games.
However, UGA did announce this summer that senior defensive back David Daniel-Sisavanh had been dismissed from the team because of serious traffic offenses. Last year, senior wideout Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint sat out the Bulldogs’ season opener against Tennessee-Martin after being receiving three separate speeding tickets and a reckless-driving charge in an eight-day span in May 2023. The reckless driving charge against Rosemy-Jacksaint was dismissed.
“I completely learned from that mistake,” Rosemy-Jacksaint said during the 2023 preseason. “I take full responsibility for my mistakes. I made a bad name for my family’s name and made Georgia look bad and Kirby look bad. So, I take full responsibility for everything I’ve done, and I just want to move on.”
Georgia players still have a couple of unresolved traffic matters to be addressed legally, including a crash-related reckless-driving charge against freshman lineman Bo Hughley.
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