Coach Kirby Smart announced Tuesday that Georgia running back Trevor Etienne will face disciplinary action from both the university and the athletic department following his DUI arrest over the weekend.
If Etienne is found guilty of DUI, he will miss 10% of Georgia’s season, or at least one game out of the Bulldogs’ 12-game schedule. The Bulldogs kick up the 2024 season against Clemson on August 31 in Atlanta.
At around 1:50 a.m. Sunday, Etienne was driving 80 to 90 mph in a 50-mph zone and twice over a double yellow line to pass vehicles, according to an Athens-Clarke County Police Department report. Etienne, a transfer from Florida, told police he was attempting to return home and acknowledged to having three beers “way earlier.”
Etienne, the younger brother of Jacksonville Jaguars running player Travis Etienne, was driving a 2024 Audi RS7 and declined to take a field sobriety test. Police said that he had slurred speech, shiny eyes, and was swaying back and forth while standing on flat ground. When the arresting officer asked for Etienne’s ID, he handed him his car key.
In addition to DUI, Etienne was charged with reckless driving, failing to maintain lane/improper driving on the road, and attaching objects that restrict visibility of windows/windshields. The DUI accusation is characterized as “less safe,” which in Georgia means he can be convicted even if his blood alcohol level is less than.08.
According to Smart, part of the process in assessing Etienne’s discipline is to let the legal procedure play out.
The coach began his weekly news conference on Tuesday by hailing Etienne as a “great kid, great person” who enjoyed being trained and loved competing.
“As we also know, kids sometimes don’t make the best decisions,” he added. “As you become older, the consequences of your blunders can become more severe. So he won’t let this error define him. He is humiliated. He is upset. He realizes he made a mistake. It’s a learning experience, and we hope he grows from it.”
Etienne, 19, rushed for 1,472 yards and 15 touchdowns over two seasons with the Gators. He was being.
Georgia football players were arrested or ticketed for speeding or reckless driving at least 14 times last year following the Jan. 15, 2023 collision that killed offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy. Police stated speeding and alcohol were factors in the incident.
Smart told ESPN that his players are constantly educated on the consequences of driving recklessly and/or while drunk. Guest speakers are frequently invited to speak to the squad, and one who talked to the Bulldogs prior to the start of the season was former NFL receiver Donte Stallworth, who murdered a man in Florida while driving intoxicated in 2009.
“It wasn’t just because of some of the issues we’ve had, but we got [Stallworth] in here because over and above getting a DUI and all that entails, you can kill somebody,” he said. “I wanted our kids to hear it from somebody who had gone through something that terrible.”
Earnest Greene III, a sophomore offensive tackle, said players have met with police officers, athletic director Josh Brooks, and Smart to discuss about putting themselves in a position to drive drunk. Smart has also emphasized the significance of players watching out for and policing one another.
“It’s on us,” Greene stated.
