Trevor Etienne hasn’t yet played a down for the Georgia Bulldogs, but he’s already wound up in some trouble off the field. Etienne, the younger brother of former Clemson Tigers and current Jacksonville Jaguars RB Travis Etienne, played for the Florida Gators the last two seasons and recorded 753 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns for them last year, then transferred to Georgia this offseason. But early on Sunday morning, he was arrested on four misdemeanor charges, including driving under the influence:
Georgia running back Trevor Etienne, the transfer from Florida, arrested early this morning on DUI, reckless driving and two other misdemeanors. What we know as of this point:https://t.co/8ps5D1o0iK
— Seth Emerson (@SethWEmerson) March 24, 2024
Emerson writes in that piece at The Athletic that the four charges Etienne was booked on are “DUI/alcohol/less safe, reckless driving, failure to maintain lane/improper driving on road, and affixing materials that reduce visibility of windows/windshield” as per the jail website, all misdemeanors. Here’s more from that piece:
Etienne was booked into Athens-Clarke County jail at 4:35 a.m. and bonded out less than an hour later, according to online jail records.
…Georgia policy typically calls for a one-game suspension for DUI arrests, and can be longer if the team or athletic department decides. Georgia’s season opens against Clemson in Atlanta on Aug. 31.
“We are aware of the charges and are currently in the process of gathering additional information,” the university said in a statement provided to The Athletic. “This is a pending legal matter and we will not have further comment at this time.”
As also noted by Emerson there, the Georgia football program previously took a lot of criticism for speeding and traffic incidents last year. That was particularly notable in last January’s crash that killed offensive lineman Devin Willock and driver Chandler LeCroy (who reportedly had a blood-alcohol concentration more than double the legal limit in Georgia), with that coming around an alleged racing incident with defensive lineman Jalen Carter and leading to a wrongful-death lawsuit from Willock’s father and to Carter pleading no contest to a variety of charges.
But there were many other vehicular incidents with the Bulldogs’ program last year, with July charges against defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins “at least the 14th time a Georgia player has been charged with speeding or racing/reckless driving since the Jan. 15 fatal crash” (and with that coming shortly after head coach Kirby Smart had discussed the recurring driving incidents as a “problem“). While Etienne’s case is the first one this year, it’s drawing further scrutiny thanks to the program history here. And it’s not a great way for him to start his time with the Bulldogs.
