Kirby Smart and Georgia Bulldogs must fix ridiculous problems that keep popping up with the football program
Multiple Georgia Bulldogs players arrested for reckless driving and speeding once again
The Georgia Bulldogs cannot stop getting in their own way off the field. Kirby Smart has addressed the issue several times, but two more Georgia players have now been arrested on reckless driving charges.
What will Kirby Smart and his staff do to address the issue this time? Last fall, they parted ways with Nyier Daniels following his vehicular charges (related to a high-speed police chase). Will that happen this time? Something has to change because the same issue keeps popping up for Georgia Bulldogs football players.
Chris Cole and Darren Ikinnagbon arrested for reckless driving and speeding
There have now been well over 20 instances of Georgia Bulldogs football players getting arrested since the fatal crash January 2023 car crash that followed the national championship game that year. DUIs. Reckless driving. Racing. Much, much more. Now, as of February 19, the Georgia arrest tally just got longer.
Chris Cole and Darren Ikinnagbon (two Georgia defensive players) were arrested late on Wednesday night by Athens-Clarke County police officers for reckless driving and speeding. Both were released shortly after on bond (less than $50). They apparently face misdemeanor charges, and further information is still being gathered.
When multiple outlets reached out to Georgia for comment, we all got the same generic, “We are aware of charges, and we’re actively gathering additional information. As this is a legal matter, we will not be providing further comments at this time.”
As of this writing, several hours after the initial reporting took place, there still hasn’t been further updates from the university. However, that doesn’t mean that there won’t be associated discipline that both Cole and Ikinnagbon may face. What will coach Smart do? And how can he possibly resolve this repetitive issue?
What will Kirby Smart do to Cole and Ikinnagbon in response to their arrest?
For a long time, coach Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs “handled” disciplined in-house, with very little information reaching the public as to any consequences that players faced. Then after a ridiculous pattern of dangerous and foolish behavior behind the wheel of moving vehicles emerged, coach Smart and his staff began putting players through programs, bringing in special guest speakers, trying to address the issue programmatically.
Nothing changed.
As more and more Georgia players were arrested over the span of multiple years, coach Smart finally began publicly punishing players, benching them like he did Daniel Harris and Trevor Etienne in 2024.
Then finally, last November, Georgia staff drew a line in the sand with how they handled Nyier Daniels’ high-speed chase situation. He was dismissed from the team entirely. What will happen with Cole and Ikinnagbon?
In Daniels’ case, he was a bench player who almost never saw the field in live game action, so dismissing him didn’t have major on-field impact.
Ikinnagbon didn’t play much last season, but was likely slated for a more significant snap share this fall to help at edge rusher.
Cole was set to be an extremely important player, stepping as one of the team’s primary off-ball linebackers who can also rush the passer himself. Cole racked up a ton of tackles four sacks last year. He was most certainly set to lead the team in a handful of statistical categories.
Will Smart actually dismiss either of them? It’s unlikely, considering that — unless more details emerge — there doesn’t seem to be accompanying substance-related issues here or an exhaustive high-speed police chase like there was in the Daniels case.
Still, this must stop.
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