In a troubling development for the Georgia Bulldogs, three more football players have been charged with reckless driving within a 24-hour period. This comes just after a judge admonished a different Georgia player for similar offenses in an Athens-Clarke County courtroom.
Rising senior and starting linebacker Smael Mondon was arrested Wednesday night on charges of racing and reckless driving. According to police reports, Mondon was driving a 2022 Dodge Charger on Broad Street near downtown Athens when he was observed racing a gray 2021 Porsche Panamera. The driver of the Porsche, also a Georgia football player, was identified as freshman defensive back Demello Jones. Jones was charged with racing on streets/highways but avoided jail due to his cooperation with police. Mondon, however, claimed he did not know the Porsche driver, according to a police report obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
A day earlier, redshirt freshman offensive lineman Bo Hughley was arrested by UGA police and charged with reckless driving, along with charges for failure to maintain lane/improper driving. In between these arrests, running back Trevor Etienne appeared in municipal court on DUI and reckless-driving charges. While the DUI charges were dropped, Etienne pleaded no contest to the reckless-driving charge and guilty to underage possession of alcohol and two other driving offenses.
“You are a public figure, whether you realize that or not,” Judge Marcy Jolles told Etienne during the hearing, as reported by the Athens Banner-Herald. “What you do, people see because of your role at the university. I would hope that you make better choices in the future to make a better example for those who are watching.”
Adding to the team’s woes, freshman Sacovie White has charges pending from an incident in May, where he allegedly drove recklessly the wrong way on a street in downtown Athens.
These latest charges bring the total to 19 incidents involving Georgia football players charged with driving-related offenses since a tragic high-speed, alcohol-related accident on January 15, 2023, that claimed the lives of offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy. The accident reportedly involved racing with other team members, and current NFL player Jalen Carter was cited for racing in that case.
Details regarding the charges against Mondon and Hughley are still emerging.
Leave a Reply