Unfortunately for Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs, the concerning trend of Dawg players getting busted for reckless driving continues to be a major reoccurring issue for the program.
The latest incident involves freshman wide receiver Sacovie White who was arrested over the weekend and booked into jail for driving the wrong way on a one-way road in Athens.
White was booked into the Clarke County Jail at 3:04 a.m. on Saturday, only to be released an hour later at 4:04 a.m. after posting bonds totaling $26.
Authorities charged White with reckless driving and one-way roadway violations, marking the second time this year a Georgia football player has been arrested for driving offenses.
Earlier in March, running back Trevor Etienne faced a similar fate when he was arrested for driving under the influence, failure to maintain a lane, improper driving, and affixing materials that reduce visibility through windows or the windshield.
Etienne, who admitted to drinking, was released on bond after spending an hour in custody.
White’s recent incident adds to a string of driving-related arrests involving Georgia football players.
Last year, former NFL linebacker and current UGA staff member Jarvis Jones was arrested for speeding and reckless driving just hours after the team’s season opener.
Additionally, wide receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint faced charges of reckless driving and speeding in May of the same year.
White, who joined the program as part of the 2024 recruiting class, hails from Cartersville, Georgia.
He impressed at Georgia’s G-Day Spring Game last month when he hauled in a 26-yard touchdown pass. (He finished the day with two catches for 29 yards and also returned a kickoff for 21 yards).
White’s high school coach shed light on the circumstances surrounding the arrest, attributing it to a traffic violation commonly seen in Athens.
“It was a big weekend in Athens, a lot going on all over campus,” said Cass coach Steve Gates. “He made a mistake by turning down a one-way road.”
“What I’m proud of is that there was no drinking or speeding involved that I would have been disappointed in obviously. But a traffic violation that occurs on the regular, bet he won’t go down that road again.”
This latest incident comes amidst heightened scrutiny over the driving habits of Georgia’s football players, following a fatal crash in January 2023 that claimed the lives of offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting staff member Chandler LeCroy.
Since then, the program has faced over a dozen arrests linked to driving-related offenses.
During SEC Media Days last summer, Smart emphasized the university’s efforts to address the reoccurring issues, including bringing in law enforcement officers to speak to the team and implementing a system of checks and balances.
Smart expressed his disappointment with the number of traffic violations among his players, stating: “What’s going to happen to my program is every time somebody gets a speeding ticket, it’s going to be the front-page story. If they went and combed every SEC player and researched ’em for speeding tickets, they’d find a lot more of them.”
“But when I say we’re under a microscope, it’s a good microscope. ‘Cause you know what it’s making us do? It’s making us try to prevent it. We’re doing more to prevent speeding than anybody in the country.”
Despite the heightened focus, issues on the road continue to happen as Smart is undoubtedly left scratching his head.
It should be noted that by all accounts, this latest incident involving White doesn’t seem to be as serious as some of the past cases.
But still, like Smart said, Georgia players are understandably under a microscope since these problems continue to happen with seemingly no end in sight.
What are your thoughts on this latest incident?
How much blame does Smart deserve for the constant reckless driving issues in Athens?
What does he need to do to put an end to all of this once and for all???