Georgia Football Staff Member Arrested on Charges of Reckless Driving and Speeding
ATHENS, Georgia – Jarvis Jones, a member of the Georgia football coaching staff, was arrested on charges of reckless driving and speeding less than 24 hours before the Bulldogs’ season opener. Jones, a former All-American linebacker at Georgia and Pittsburgh Steelers player, currently serves as the Bulldogs’ player connection coordinator under head coach Kirby Smart. The arrest took place on Friday night, with the Athens-Clarke County Police charging Jones with misdemeanor reckless driving and speeding-maximum limits.
Jones was released on a $2,400 bond following his arrest. When asked about the incident, Smart stated, “There will be internal discipline. It’s a personnel matter and I can’t comment further on it.” Despite the arrest, the Georgia Bulldogs managed to secure a convincing 48-7 victory over UT Martin in their season opener on Saturday night.
This incident comes in the wake of several other Georgia Bulldogs players facing charges of moving violations since their championship win in January. In July, defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and outside linebacker Samuel M’Pemba were cited for speeding. Tragically, the night of the team’s championship celebration, offensive lineman Devin Willock and staff member Chandler LeCroy lost their lives in a car accident allegedly involving former defensive lineman Jalen Carter street racing with them.
Addressing the issue of traffic violations within the team, Smart revealed that the university brought in police to speak to the players at SEC media days this summer. They also implemented a system of “checks and balances” for self-reporting speeding tickets. Smart expressed his disappointment with the number of traffic tickets among his players but acknowledged that preventing speeding entirely is challenging.
Georgia offensive lineman Sedrick Van Pran emphasized the significance of learning from past mistakes, stating, “It’s more so understanding that you’re representing more than yourself and that it has to tighten up, it has to be fixed — like period.”
Moving forward, the Bulldogs will aim to address these concerns and focus on their upcoming game against Ball State, scheduled for Saturday at noon ET.