Getty Image
Florida and Georgia will be facing off for the 102nd time when the two teams meet in Jacksonville on Saturday, and plenty of fans think the Gators fired a shot at the Bulldogs over the team’s well-documented culture issues with the drunk driving PSA they posted before the game.
The Florida Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs have a storied rivalry stretching back to the start of the 20th century, and the two sides have been meeting in Jacksonville on an annual basis since the 1930s for the raucous gathering commonly referred to as The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.
That highly anticipated event will unfold at EverBank Stadium on Saturday, and while the 6-1 Bulldogs will almost certainly come away with the victory over a Florida squad listed as 16.5-point underdogs barring a disastrous choke job, the Gators may have secured a W a few days before things get underway.
On Wednesday night, Florida’s social media team sent out a message to its fans to stress the importance of having a designated driver if they plan to treat themselves to some adult beverages over the course of the day.
We’ll 👀 you in Jacksonville for @FLvsGA this weekend‼️ But no matter where you’re coming from, get there safely with a designated driver.#GoGators || @MyFDOT pic.twitter.com/ft20Gr1yMs
— Florida Gators (@FloridaGators) October 31, 2024
At first glance, it seemed like a fairly standard and innocuous reminder, as the school previously sent out similar messages ahead of last year’s game against Georgia and prior to their showdown in 2020.
However, a quick scroll through the replies to the tweet in question shows there are plenty of people who are convinced Florida was consciously referencing the string of incidents involving Georgia players that have become a huge topic of conversation as they’ve continued to pile up in recent years.
More than 25 people associated with Georgia’s football program have been arrested on driving-related charges since OL Devin Willock and staffer Chandler LeCroy were killed in a street racing incident at the start of 2023 where the latter’s blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.
It’s worth noting the vast majority of those incidents involved reckless driving with no links to alcohol.
With that said, RB Travis Etienne was hit with DUI charges earlier this year that were ultimately dismissed, former wide receiver De’Nylon Morrissette was arrested for the same reason after getting into a crash in 2023, and current Packers safety Javon Bullard was suspended for a game over a DUI in 2022.
Do I personally think Florida was alluding to those incidents? No, but there are a ton of others who feel otherwise.