UGA’s Etienne faces suspension after DUI arrest

• Chris Low, ESPN

  • Elder WriterMar 26, 2024, 06:46 PM ET Close College football press reporter
  • Signed up with ESPN.com in 2007
  • Graduate of the University of Tennessee

ATHENS, Ga.– Georgia running back Trevor Etienne faces disciplinary action from both the university and athletic department following his DUI arrest over the weekend, coach Kirby Smart said Tuesday.Under athletic

department policy, Etienne will miss out on 10% of Georgia’s season– which equates to at least one game under the Bulldogs’ 12-game schedule– if found guilty of DUI. The Bulldogs open the 2024 season Aug. 31 in Atlanta against Clemson.Etienne was traveling

80 to 90 miles per hour in a 50-mph zone at roughly 1:50 a.m. Sunday and two times crossed over a double yellow line to pass automobiles, according to an Athens-Clarke County Police Department report. Etienne, a transfer from Florida, informed cops he was attempting to get home and confessed to consuming 3 beers”way previously. “Editor’s Picks

Etienne, the more youthful brother of Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne, was driving a 2024 Audi RS7 and declined to grant a field sobriety test. Police stated he had slurred speech, shiny eyes and was swaying backward and forward while standing on flat ground. When the arresting officer asked Etienne for an ID, he gave him his vehicle key.In addition to DUI, Etienne was also charged with negligent driving, failure to preserve lane/improper driving on the roadway and attaching products that minimize presence of windows/windshield. The DUI charge is categorized as “less safe,” which in Georgia implies he can be founded guilty even if his blood alcohol level is less than.08.

Smart stated part of the process in identifying Etienne’s discipline is enabling the legal process to run its course.The coach opened

his weekly press conference Tuesday by applauding Etienne as a”fantastic kid, excellent person” and keeping in mind how much he enjoyed being coached and loved the competition.

“As we likewise understand, kids sometimes do not make the best choices,” Smart stated. “The older you get, in some cases the tougher the repercussions are for your errors. So, he’s not going to let this error specify him. He’s embarrassed. He’s upset. He understands he made a mistake. It’s a teaching moment, and we hope he improves from it.”

Etienne, 19, rushed for 1,472 lawns and scored 15 goals in two seasons with the Gators. He was being counted on to be a significant cog in the Bulldogs’ running game this season.Georgia football players were detained or cited for speeding or careless driving at least 14 times in 2015 after the Jan. 15, 2023 crash that eliminated offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy. Speeding and alcohol played a role in that crash, authorities said.Smart told ESPN that his players are continually counseled on the risks of driving recklessly and/or impaired. Visitor speakers are frequently generated to speak to the group, and one who spoke with the Bulldogs prior to the start of last season was former NFL receiver Donte Stallworth, who eliminated a pedestrian in Florida in 2009 while driving drunk.”It wasn’t even if of a few of the issues we’ve had, however we got [Stallworth] in here due to the fact that over and above getting a DUI and all that requires, you can eliminate someone,”Smart said.”I wanted our kids to hear it from somebody who had actually gone through something that horrible.” Sophomore offensive tackle Earnest Greene III said players have had sessions with policeman, athletic director Josh Brooks and Smart about not putting themselves in a position to drive intoxicated. Smart has also stressed the significance of players keeping an eye out for each other and policing each other.”It’s on us,”Greene said.