University of Georgia running back Trevor Etienne was arrested Sunday morning on four misdemeanor charges. He was booked at 4:35 a.m. for DUI, reckless driving, failure to maintain lane/improper driving on road and affixing materials that reduce visibility of windows/windshield.
The younger brother of Jaguars running back Travis Etienne was released on bail at 5:27 a.m.
A full police report has not been released at this time. Georgia has yet to issue a statement.
This incident adds to a concerning trend surrounding the Bulldogs program in recent years.
Offensive lineman Devin Willock and staffer Chandler LeCroy tragically lost their live in an automobile accident in January 2023. Police alleged that Jalen Carter was racing them before the fatal wreck.
In total, at least 14 Georgia football players were charged with moving violations last year alone. A staffer was arrested on charges of reckless driving and speeding less than 24 hours before the season-opener in September. Etienne is the first arrest of this current offseason.
Head coach Kirby Smart said at SEC Media Days last summer that police spoke to the team in response to the repeated incidents. The Bulldogs also implemented a system of “checks and balances” for self-reporting speeding tickets. However, he also said that he could not “eradicate” speeding.
What’s going to happen to my program is every time somebody gets a speeding ticket, it’s going to be the front-page story. If they went and combed every SEC player and researched ’em for speeding tickets, they’d find a lot more of them.
But when I say we’re under a microscope, it’s a good microscope. ‘Cause you know what it’s making us do? It’s making us try to prevent it. We’re doing more to prevent speeding than anybody in the country.
— Kirby Smart in 2023, via ESPN
Unfortunately, the issues surrounding Georgia football go far beyond just speeding.
Etienne is the latest player to be arrested for a reckless driving-related incident. He enrolled at the university in January after spending the last two seasons with the Florida Gators and is expected to be the Bulldogs’ lead back.
His status for the 2024 college football season-opener against Clemson is now in jeopardy. Javon Bullard was arrested for DUI in 2022 and was suspended for the team’s next game.
It will be interesting to see how Smart and Georgia choose to handle this most recent occurrence. Especially considering that it is the end of March and not in-season. They will need to get it right.