Mark Richt has lost control of Mudcat’s car.

Matt Hayes:  “The Georgia football program has a problem, and the only person who can fix it is coach Kirby Smart.”

This is what Matt means by “fix”.

Dismiss Dumas-Johnson, and publicly declare that any Georgia player arrested for racing cars will face the same penalty.

Apparently, racing should be treated like sexual assault now.  Y’all good with that?

I’m not trying to make light of this.  It’s a horrible tragedy, the result of poor judgment by young people who should have known better.  What it’s not, though, is a scandal — at least not at this point.  The question is, what sort of stance does the school and the program need to take to discourage this sort of reckless behavior going forward?

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UPDATE:  Seth Emerson ($$) has similar thoughts.

The events of Jan. 15 don’t have to be Georgia’s fault. There’s nothing that has come to light to suggest it was. But it can still reflect on the program, as does every arrest of a player, five of them now in the past calendar year. All misdemeanors, and not at the number Richt was dealing with in 2010. But Georgia’s program is now at a higher level nationally. The microscope is larger. The accountability has to be too.

… At a minimum, at an absolute minimum, Smart needs to get a handle on street racing.

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I know boys will be boys and all that…

… but this ain’t good.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Jalen Carter for racing in the crash that took the life of Devin Willock and Chandler LeCroy…other details emerge. pic.twitter.com/XUjZw8fhUJ

— Anthony Dasher (@AnthonyDasher1) March 1, 2023

Sadly, and unlike the Toppers bullshit, this is news.  And I’m afraid we’re not done with the news yet.

All roads lead to Toppers.

I have to admit when I heard the news about the Dumas-Johnson arrest, I sarcastically asked myself if the AJ-C would stoop to trying to tie it into (yet) another story about the fatal crash.  “Nah,” I said to myself, “nobody’s that cynical.”

Wrong, bacon breath.

A star football player for the University of Georgia allegedly led a police officer on a high-speed chase through the Athens campus on Jan. 10, hours after the team won its second consecutive national football championship.

Five days later, police officers questioned the same player, linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson, minutes after a fatal car crash involving two other players and two members of the team’s recruiting staff. Police are investigating whether racing was involved in the Jan. 15 crash, according to records reviewed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

In case you needed it all tied together in a neat bow…

Dumas-Johnson was one of several Georgia players who celebrated their national championship early the morning of Jan. 15, hours after a parade and a celebration at Sanford Stadium.

Surveillance video obtained by the Journal-Constitution shows several players and football staff members leaving a downtown Athens strip club about 2:30 a.m. Several cars, including one that matches the description of Dumas-Johnson’s Dodge Charger and the Ford Expedition driven by LeCroy, left the area less than 10 minutes before the fatal crash. Police reports said they were headed to a Waffle House near the crash site.

All that, despite the article acknowledging that the charges against Dumas-Johnson have nothing to do with the crash.

Remember Joe Biden’s line about Rudy Giulani — “there’s only three things he [needs] to make … a sentence: a noun and a verb and 9/11”?  There’s only three things the AJ-C needs to make a story:  an arrest, a Georgia player and Toppers.

The undefeated meme

There’s something timeless about driving Mudcat’s car…

Georgia starting inside linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson was arrested Wednesday night on two driving charges.

The Hyattsville, Md., native who just completed his sophomore season was booked for racing on highways/streets and reckless driving after a warrant was issued for his arrest. The arresting agency is listed as the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office.

Dumas-Johnson was booked at 6:34 p.m. and released at 7:15 p.m., according to the Clarke County online booking report.

Dumas-Johnson’s name is in the University of Georgia online police log on Wednesday from a Jan. 10 incident at 8 p.m. That’s the day when the football team returned from Los Angeles after beating TCU the night before in the national championship game.

The log said warrants were issued Tuesday from an investigation into two vehicles traveling next to each other on College Station Road in a “reckless manner at high speeds that fled the area upon sign of the officer.”

Speed on the field > speed on the street.

Lock ’em up!

While we’re on the subject of Florida legislation, here’s something of note making its way through the process:

Sports fans in Florida may soon have reason to think twice about storming the field or court after their favorite college team pulls off a big win. Multiple bills that would criminalize court-storming and field-storming have been introduced in the Florida state legislature, according to WCTV in Tallahassee.

One of the bills, SB 764, which is also titled the “Interference with Sporting or Entertainment Events” bill, was introduced by Republican Senator Corey Simon — a former Florida State football star. If SB 764 passes, it would make entering a “covered area” in a stadium or arena a first-degree misdemeanor. The penalty for breaking that law would carry up to a year in jail or a $2,500 fine

The bill defines a “covered area” as “any area designated for use by players, coaches, officials, performers, or personnel administering a covered event that is on, or adjacent to, the area of performance or play.” The bill can be read in its entirety here.

Not only would court-storming be penalized, but anyone who throws, drops or tosses objects into the “covered area” would also be criminalized.

A nearly identical bill, HB 319, has been introduced by Republican Representative Taylor Yarkosky in the House of Representatives. If either of the bills pass their respective bodies and get signed into law by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the new laws would take effect on Oct. 1.

I question the practicality of enforcement, but, hey, anything that could lead to the mass arrests of Gator fans isn’t a bad thing in my book.

Rara, we hardly knew ye.

From the transfer portal into the fire…

pic.twitter.com/A5IP5dMfkG

— Seth Emerson (@SethWEmerson) January 23, 2023

This has all the makings of a short-lived Georgia career.  At the least.

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UPDATE:  This, shall we say, doesn’t sound promising.

Georgia athletics released a statement Monday afternoon on the arrest.

“We are aware of a reported incident involving conduct by one of our student-athletes,” it said. “While we are limited in what we can say about the incident, the report is disappointing and not reflective of the high standards we have for our student-athletes on and off the field. In addition to following internal Athletic Association policies, we will be working closely with our administration to ensure we cooperate fully with all law enforcement and campus protocols.”

An oldie, but a goodie

Tennessee is back, baby!

Tennessee starting safety Jaylen McCollough arrested on felony assault charge https://t.co/4PD4OgWymk via @knoxnews

— Adam Sparks (@AdamSparks) October 10, 2022

Wonder if they’ll consult with Fulmer about how to handle the situation, if only for old times’ sake.

A one-man Fulmer Cup winner

This has to be some kind of record.

Georgia sophomore defensive back Javon Bullard arrested early this morning on a misdemeanor DUI and six other misdemeanor traffic related charges. pic.twitter.com/VE5zqzMXq6

— Seth Emerson (@SethWEmerson) September 25, 2022

Man, Mark Richt’s really lost control of this team.

Funky, funky but chic

Leadership, Big Blue style.

Not often you get two captains suspended for the season opener. https://t.co/R6ffsEeoOa

— Mark Ennis (@MarkEnnis) August 30, 2022

Maybe Stoops should go with a “do as we say, not as they do” motto this season.

MIA

Good news for Billy Napier?

Kentucky will be without All-SEC senior running back Chris Rodriguez for its season opener vs. Miami (Ohio) on Saturday.

Rodriguez was not on Kentucky’s Week 1 depth chart released Monday…

During his weekly press conference Monday, head coach Mark Stoops says Rodriguez is one of multiple players he suspects will serve a multiple-game suspension. Stoops confirmed senior outside linebacker Jordan Wright is also among the suspended players.

“A few of them will have multiple-game suspensions but I don’t know how long. I suspect one will be back next week,” Stoops said before announcing he will provide more information next week.

If only for the name alone, I love Kavosiey Smoke, but nobody’s going to confuse him with Rodriguez.  If he’s not available when the ‘Cats travel to Florida, you can’t help but begin to wonder if Gus Malzahn’s rabbit’s foot has made its way to Gainesville.