AdamLilly was the first to post the news here, but by now you know that Caleb King was arrested on a bench warrant for failing to appear in court on a speeding ticket. At the time of his arrest, King was getting ready to drive his brother’s car home; in other words, he wasn’t up to anything nefarious.
Although jujdawg’s take on this initially was mistaken for my position before being recognized as someone else’s viewpoint, I agree with jujdawg. Having overreacted to a previous arrest of Alec Ogletree, I’m not going to make the same mistake twice.
If a guy is a problem child like Quincy Carter, you run him off the reservation. If a guy is a repeat offender like Jasper Sanks, you kick him off the team. If a guy is involved in a serious offense like Michael Lemon, Montez Robinson, or Zach Mettenberger, you kick him off the team. If a guy is arrested for DUI like Dontavius Jackson, you suspend him for half a season and prompt a transfer. If that doesn’t get the message across and another guy is arrested for DUI like Demetre Baker, you kick him off the team.
By the way, those are exactly the actions Mark Richt took in each one of those instances. Signals are being sent, and strongly.
Is it maddening that guys aren’t paying their tickets for minor traffic offenses? Of course it is. Should there be someone in Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall whose job description specifically involves tracking the deadlines for payment of parking tickets and speeding tickets, and any court dates scheduled as a result of such citations? Of course there should, if there is not already.
Speaking as a guy who got a speeding ticket or two, and a parking ticket or twelve, while enrolled at the University of Georgia, though, I don’t think guys need to have their scholarships yanked over sheer stupidity that does not endanger life, limb, or property, or involve moral culpability. This is a half-step above emerging from an alley or misspelling your middle name.
There are offenses worthy of being booted off the team; we know what they are, because they’re the offenses for which Mark Richt boots guys off the team, and has consistently for a decade. Getting clocked going 76 miles per hour on Highway 78 and failing to pay the fine on time is a stadium step offense, not a playing time offense, and certainly not a scholarship stripping offense. It’s embarrassing, but that’s all it is.
Go ‘Dawgs!