Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver arrested again as Kirby Smart's culture issues in Athens continue

Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs college football program has already been facing a multitude of criticisms this off-season for their wild number of driving and speeding-related arrests. Now it's just getting worse. Yet another Georgia player was arrested early Friday morning (around 3am), but this time it wasn't for driving his vehicle recklessly.

Rara Thomas arrested on Friday morning

Georgia wide receiver Rara Thomas was arrested or "two counts of battery and one count of cruelty to children" as was reported via DawgsHQ this morning. Just an absolutely abhorrent thing to be arrested for regardless of who commits the crime.

And unfortunately this wasn't the first time that Rara Thomas had been arrested for familial issues. Right after his transfer to Athens he was arrested for family violence and false imprisonment. Of course nothing really came of this as the charges were dropped after he took part in some anger management courses and was forced to complete community service hours. Now that Thomas is a repeat offender in a similar situation it will be interesting to see if something is actually done.

Georgia's prevalent culture issues

Over the last three years there had already reportedly been 47 incidents and arrests for DUI or reckless driving. 24 of them somehow came after a player and assistant on the team actually died in a car crash following the January 2023 national championship victory. This long line of vehicular violations and issues have led many to believe there is a real culture problem in Athens. Now it looks like the problem might be getting even worse than many thought.

If other off-field incidents like this continue--even beyond reckless driving--something is going to have to be done. Rara Thomas is just one of many Georgia players who have been arrested, and there's no sign of this slowing down.

Implications for Georgia football

Rara Thomas was slated to play a significant role on the Georgia offense yet again in 2024 as one of their primary outside wide receivers. After Thomas' arrest, this now opens the door for transfer wide receiver Colbie Young to steal his starting spot alongside Dillon Bell and Dominic Lovett.

This is perhaps part of the problem, but luckily for Georgia they're extremely deep at wide receiver. There's a real chance that if Thomas is forced to miss significant time the Bulldogs feel next to zero on-field consequences as a program.

We'll return with additional updates on this situation as we learn more on Rara Thomas and the culture issues at Georgia. Be looking for more College Football coverage here at A to Z Sports all year long. Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news.