Is Georgia football program out of control?

Georgia continues to grapple with driving-related arrests, but when will the media start to grapple with Kirby Smart’s program? The Georgia Bulldogs head coach has largely flown under the radar, as the program’s just-win culture has overshadowed the off-the-field issues that continue to hamper the program.

But slowly the pressure has begun to mount on Smart. Tuesday saw USA Today publish an article pulled from a podcast that features two senior columnists, Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams, titled: Georgia football is out of control. Will Kirby Smart step up discipline?

The issue has come to a head following the recent arrest of wide receiver Rara Thomas on felony child cruelty and multiple family violence charges. Thomas also accumulated three traffic citations this offseason, adding to Georgia’s ongoing problems with dangerous driving.

In response, Georgia indefinitely suspended Thomas from the team.

But while there was swift action from the program, it potentially underscores a deeper issue with Smart’s leadership. The Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported earlier this month that Georgia football players have been involved in 24 driving-related violations (DUI, reckless driving, or speeding), which include the fatal crash involving a player and a recruiting staffer in January 2023.

The incidents that have been happening off the field are not something we condone,” Smart said via the AP’s Ralph Russo at this month’s SEC Media Days. “It’s very unfortunate, disappointing, I guess is the best word.”

So, at what point does it stop being disappointing and something ingrained in the fabric of the program?

Well, Rivals took a look at it during their weekly FACT or FICTION segment.

1. With Georgia’s recent run-ins with police, Kirby Smart is becoming more like Urban Meyer at Florida than he is becoming Nick Saban.

Both Adam Friedman and Radi Nabulsi think it’s Fiction – at least for now — but they both raised some interesting points:

Friedman: This is fiction … for now. It’s incredible that Kirby Smart has not been able to get a handle on his players’ penchant for speeding. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution , there have now been 24 arrests of Georgia football players for driving-related incidents since January of last year. Whether the charges were ticky-tacky or not, that’s an absurd total that would land any coach in hot water. Does anybody remember recurring off-field incidents like this by teams coached by Nick Saban? No, but that doesn’t immediately swing Smart toward Urban Meyer’s end of the spectrum. Meyer’s Florida teams had longer arrest records and they were filled with many more serious charges than speeding.

Nabulsi: Yet off-the-field issues continue to plague Smart’s program. His detractors would love to say he’s another Urban. Yet this is a new era. Smart has a loaded roster of four- and five-star athletes who for the most part all have newer, higher-performance vehicles that were bought with their NIL funds. Let me know when 18-year-olds as a whole decide to stop driving fast, especially in custom cars. Smart has brought in the local police, the state patrol, the athletic director, countless speakers and the school president to speak with his players. Yet they still make offseason headlines, often being arrested on misdemeanor charges that at other schools would be simple traffic tickets. (See the $26 bonds.) Smart has also implemented player suspensions, dismissals and fines for these violations.

Opponents will point to the recurrence of these incidents as evidence that Smart “doesn’t care” about the headlines so long as he wins. I’ll point to the fact that being young, rich and stupid is undefeated, regardless of the consequences.

It’s unsurprising that Georgia media would defend Smart, invoking the “kids will be kids” cliché and the notion that young, wealthy athletes are invincible. But doesn’t this deflection reveal something troubling about the program’s values? Repeated offenses, especially after a tragic loss, should merit severe consequences. Yet the fact that Smart is only receiving a minor amount of scrutiny just now suggests a reluctance to confront the issue head-on.

While the pressure on Smart to address these problems externally is mounting, the program’s inability to stem the tide of incidents is increasingly drawing comparisons to Urban Meyer’s troubled tenure at Florida. NIL and the transfer portal can’t be blamed entirely; this is about accountability and instilling a stronger sense of responsibility.

To Smart’s credit, that seems to have been the case—at least as of late, with the pressure now mounting.

Just earlier this month, Smart announced the dismissal of safety David Daniel-Sisavanh from the team on Tuesday following a reckless driving charge. While expressing disappointment with the ongoing issue of player misconduct, Smart emphasized the program’s commitment to addressing the problem.

The coach acknowledged that multiple players have faced suspensions for traffic violations, including receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint last season. He clarified that specific punishments vary on a case-by-case basis and declined to provide details.

In an effort to deter reckless driving, Smart revealed that players have been subjected to substantial fines imposed by the Classic City Collective. Georgia has also implemented a comprehensive education program, involving over 162 instances of player interaction with coaches, administrators and guest speakers focused on driver safety.

Despite these measures, the program has seemingly struggled to prevent recurring incidents.

But Smart isn’t giving up. He continues to stress the importance of accountability and consequences while also expressing empathy for the players involved.

“But if people go say, ‘Well, it falls on deaf ears, you got to have discipline, you’ve got to discipline someone,’” Smart said, according to The AP. “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 fine them because these fines have been substantial, and it’ll make you think twice about the mistakes you make.”

[ AP, The Tennessean , Rivals ]

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