The Weekender: Georgia Football Tallies 24th Reckless Driving Incident Since Crash Involving Jalen Carter, Mike Gundy Opts Not to Punish Ollie Gordon II for DUI, and Hard Knocks Takes a Shot at Kyle McCord

By George Eisner on July 14, 2024 at 2:35 pm
Georgia offensive lineman Jonathan LeMonte "Bo" Hughley
Joshua L. Jones — USA TODAY NETWORK
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Reckless Driving Incidents Piling Up for UGA Football

Georgia's football program has an extremely serious institutional control problem when it comes to preventing incidents of reckless driving among its players. That was true in the immediate aftermath of the 2023 CFP National Championship involving now-Philadelphia Eagle Jalen Carter in a street race that resulted in the deaths of teammate Devin Willock and UGA staff member Chandler LeCroy. But over a year and a half following that tragedy, the citations around Athens continue to pile up.

Earlier this week, linebacker Smael Mondon and offensive lineman Bo Hughley found themselves arrested on separate vehicular misdemeanors that occurred within nearly 24 hours of each other. They are the fourth Bulldog football players apprehended by police this offseason in addition to wide receiver Sacovie White in May and Trevor Etienne in March. Etienne's court appearance for his own arrest took place in the window between Mondon and Hughley's bookings on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's extensive reporting of this ongoing issue notes that the incidents involving Mondon and Hughley bring the Georgia football program's total to 24 known instances of speeding, reckless driving or DUI since the start of last year. Media criticism continues to mount regarding how head coach Kirby Smart has handled the ongoing crisis at his school.

The issue has become so out of hand among recent Bulldogs talent that one Reddit user went as far as to create a scatter plot of the most notable arrests among Georgia football players relative to the speeds at which they received their citations.

Smart plans to publicly address the recent developments surrounding the pattern of troubling vehicular misconduct at his program during SEC Football Media Days next Tuesday.

Mike Gundy Opts Not to Punish His RB for a DUI

Incredibly, despite the overwhelming volume of reckless driving incidents at Georgia, Mike Gundy likely served as the coach catching the most national heat over the last week for enforcing player punishment in wake of apprehension for crime behind the wheel.

Roughly two weeks ago, Oklahoma State running back and last season's Doak Walker Award winner Ollie Gordon II found himself arrested on suspicion of DUI after police pulled him over and he admitted to having open half-empty containers of tequila and vodka in the car. Stunningly, Gundy had Gordon II make an appearance at Big 12 media day earlier this week and asserted that the All-American would miss no time following the incident.

In a bewildering statement at Big 12 media day, Gundy attempted to put Gordon II's actions into a more forgiving context by admitting he had operated a vehicle several times after multiple drinks based on his understanding of body weight relative to the legal limit in Oklahoma.

Gundy later attempted to clarify his own comments, but that did not stop the public from drawing immediate comparisons to Trailer Park Boys character Ray Flower based on their haircuts and mutual leniency surrounding drunk driving.

Hard Knocks Throws Shade at Kyle McCord

During a film room segment on the latest season of Hard Knocks, a clip emerged from the NFL Draft process of New York Giants receivers coach Mike Groh and Marvin Harrison Jr. discussing an errant throw made by Kyle McCord during Ohio State's game against Wisconsin from the past season.

Groh asked Harrison Jr. what he would say to a quarterback when returning to the huddle after a "shit throw" such as the one they just watched that likely cost a wide-open touchdown. Given the on-field rapport Harrison Jr. had with McCord that extended back to their high school days, the eventual Arizona Cardinals receiver offered a classy response to the question in relaying that, "I can make a play still... I will never say anything to the quarterback."

Even so, the comment from Groh — which drew open laughter from the other staff members in the room — reflected the frustrations of many Buckeye fans with McCord's inconsistency under center last season.

ICYMI

Will Howard Feels "So Much More" Comfortable at Ohio State Now

After six months in Columbus and a mixed results spring game, former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard indicated this week that he feels far more comfortable with the Buckeyes now than he did when he arrived on campus. After ending spring practice with the bulk of first-team snaps, Howard also relayed that the entire unit still has "a ways to go, but we're on the right track."

Buckeyes Have Highest Tally of Top-100 Players in EA Sports CFB 25

As the first college football video game in over a decade prepares to finally release next Friday, the unveiling of rosters the past week revealed Ohio State to have the greatest depth of talent relative to wealth of overall ratings. Eight Buckeyes earned top 100 distinctions in the game, with Caleb Downs and Quinshon Judkins achieving spots in the top 10 at 95 overall each.

Upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics Will Feature 24 OSU-Affiliated Athletes

Two dozen former and incoming Ohio State athletes will compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics later this month and into the end of the summer. The Buckeyes feature athletes across nine sports hailing from 10 different countries.

What’s Next

  • 48 Days: Ohio State football's season opener vs. Akron
  • 139 Days: The Game
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