By: Robert Craft

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Georgia players are facing suspensions for driving violations, coach Kirby Smart confirmed on Tuesday. There has been another internal punishment: fines via the program’s collective, which have been happening for a while, Smart said.

“Our Classic City Collective for over a year has been substantially fining guys for those things,” Smart said. “That’s not something that’s new. That’s something that’s been ongoing outside of my jurisdiction that they decided to implement and have done for a considerable amount.”

Georgia has continued to have problems with driving-related arrests. Seven players have been arrested on driving-related charges since the January 2023 car crash that killed player Devin Willock and staff member Chandler LeCroy in which police found LeCroy had been drinking and racing with then-teammate Jalen Carter.

Safety David Daniel Sisavanh, arrested on reckless driving in February, has been dismissed from the program for what Smart only would term a ‘violation of team rules’.

There have been speeding tickets and arrests for speeding. Another player, Jamon Dumas Johnson, was arrested last year for a street racing incident that happened before Wilcock’s fatal crash.

Smart has declined to specify what the suspensions will be, only confirming them after the fact, such as last year when receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint was suspended for a speeding arrest.

As this season approaches, running back Trevor Etienne (DUI) and linebacker Smael Mondo (reckless driving, racing) seem likely to face suspensions. But Smart said he would not publicize those suspensions in advance.

“I don’t necessarily think it’s right to go down to the town square and publicly shame kids when that happens,” Smart said. “They go through a lot, and there’s a lot of remorse from these young men who’ve made mistakes. But our job is to educate, continue to grow these young men.”

Still, given all the arrests, following a tragic car crash, how has an otherwise disciplined program failed to curtail this serious issue?

“It’s a great question,” Smart said. “I’d love every solution possible because we actually write down now every time we talk about it and every time we address it, and we have someone in every meeting that hears that, and before I came, it was like 162 times it’s been mentioned. But if people go say, ‘Well, it falls on deaf ears, you got to have discipline, you’ve got to discipline someone.’ Well, we have, and we will continue to do so. If the actions require that, we’ll do what’s necessary to do that. But I do think the effective way in curtailing some things is when you go to their wallet and you find them because these fines have been substantial, and it’ll make you think twice about the mistakes you make.”

Georgia has used what Smart called proactive education, such as defensive driving courses. But Smart also defended the discipline process.

“As far as I know, there’s not one team in the country that’s ever suspended a player for a traffic violation similar to what Marcus Rosemy got suspended for,” Smart said.

“I don’t know if anybody’s ever kicked somebody off the team for that. And we have that. And we’re going to continue to be proactive. Repeated poor behaviors and poor decisions. In some cases, we have repeated behaviors, and in some cases, we have guys that make mistakes, and we’re going to punish them.”

Obviously with the tragedy that happened two years ago, that’s the biggest thing, guys realizing to be intentional in the moment. … It doesn’t matter if you get there five minutes early, it’s not going to change anything. Slow down and follow the rules of the road.