Georgia has had two players arrested for reckless driving, including star linebacker Smael Mondon Jr.

Two Georgian soccer players were arrested this week for reckless driving, police records show.

Star linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. was arrested late Wednesday night by Athens-Clarke County police on charges of reckless driving and racing on a highway. He was released on bail shortly afterward, early Thursday morning.

Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Bo Hughley was arrested Tuesday night by University of Georgia police for reckless driving and failure to maintain lane/improper conduct on roadway. He was released on bond Tuesday night.

The Georgia athletic department declined to comment Thursday, but plans to address the incidents at SEC media days next week in Dallas.

The two arrests this week add to a string of reckless driving and other traffic-related incidents within the Georgia football program, including a car crash that killed player Devin Willock and team staffer Chandler LeCroy in January 2023. In connection with the fatal crash, Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle and former Bulldog Jalen Carter was charged with street racing. He did not receive any jail time after pleading not guilty to two misdemeanor counts of racing and reckless driving.

In the months following the crash, receivers De’Nylon Morrissette and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint were also arrested for DUI. Morrissette was arrested in early May 2023 in Oconee County, South Carolina, and charged with DUI, driving too close, driving too fast for conditions, and violating the Class D restrictions prohibiting driving between midnight and 5 a.m. local time.

A few weeks after Morrissette’s arrest, Rosemy-Jacksaint was pulled over while driving 90 miles per hour in a 45-mile-per-hour zone and weaving in and out of traffic. He was charged with reckless driving and speeding over the speed limit.

In March, three months after he was transferred from Florida to Georgia, Trevor Etienne was arrested on four charges: DUI, reckless driving, failure to maintain lane/improper driving on roadway and attaching materials that reduce visibility to windows/windshield.

On Wednesday, Etienne reached a plea agreement that dismisses the charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, with the running back pleading not guilty to the charge of reckless driving.

Following Etienne’s arrest, coach Kirby Smart said Etienne will face disciplinary action from the university and team, but chose not to specify the consequences as he has in the past.

Last May, at the SEC’s spring meetings after the fatal crash, Smart said: “Everybody wants to know what the penalty is. The players know what the penalty is, and it’s important that our players recognize that and understand it. But I want to educate them more, I want to make sure they understand.”

Georgia President Jere Morehead then threw his support behind Smart, saying he knew the football coach was “taking care of it.”

“But I leave it to him to determine what he wants to say publicly or not,” Morehead said. “I trust his judgment on that.”

Required Reading

(Photo: Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)