Kirby Smart details how Georgia football players have been fined as a part of disciplinary action

There's been a lot of talk about the culture issues surrounding Georgia football lately in light of two of the team's players being arrested for reckless driving just last week, which comes not terribly long after Trevor Etienne was arrested on a DUI charge back in March.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart made clear during 2024 SEC Media Days, though, that players have not been simply getting away with poor behavior and decision-making.

He revealed on Tuesday that fines have been in place for Georgia's football players through the Classic City Collective, which is associated with the program. This is the first time this information has been disclosed to the public.

At this time, it is believed Georgia may be the only program implementing these types of fines.

"The [NIL] collective has fined players -- substantially," Smart said. "We've dismissed players that have been involved, and I'm talking about like routine traffic, repeated, repeated violations. ... I actually think the best key is the pocket because you look at what the NFL has done, their model is defined. And if you asked any of our players what they would rather have, they want their money. When I say substantial -- very substantial -- in terms of the hits the some guys have taken."

Smart is disappointed in what's gone on at Georgia with these incidents, but is happy with what the program has in place to combat them.

“You know, anytime you have situation like that, you want your kids, your players to make better decisions, and not always say you can’t be outcome related. And I’m very disappointed in the outcomes,” Smart said.

“But I am very pleased with the process we’ve put in in terms of education, driver safety, requiring defensive driving, education, talking about it, having leaders stand up and talk about it, bringing speakers in, suspending or dismissing players,” he added.

Regardless, Smart is aware of his responsibility and wants his players to learn from their wrongdoing.

"I'm trying to find the best way to reach them, not because it saves the University of Georgia any embarrassment, but because it makes them better people," Smart said. "They're gonna be better people for getting the discipline it takes to learn from those mistakes."