Update: After arrest, Crowell is dismissed from UGA squad
Feb. 2, 2011: Isaiah Crowell brings delight to Bulldog Nation. Alas, that was then. (AP photo)
At 5 p.m. Friday, Georgia coach Mark Richt announced that Isaiah Crowell has been dismissed from the squad. More to come.
Here they go again. Four summers after a team that would be ranked No. 1 in preseason saw its summer so roiled by player arrests that 16 of the first 20 questions asked of Mark Richt on Media Day involved discipline (or the lack thereof), the Georgia Bulldogs are about to embark on another season of great expectations, and again we’re talking less about football than foolishness.
Four defensive starters have managed to get themselves suspended for the start of the 2012 season, forcing the Bulldogs to move Malcolm Mitchell, their best wide receiver, to defensive back. That was bad. This is worse: Isaiah Crowell, the 2011 SEC freshman of the year, was arrested in Athens early Friday on three weapons charges, two of them felonies.
According to Athens-Clarke County Police, a Luger was found under the seat of the car Crowell was driving, a car from which an officer reported the smell of marijuana emanating. Crowell denied knowledge of the gun. Also in the car: Four other Georgia football players, three of whom are incoming freshmen. None of the four was charged.
This comes after a freshman season in which Crowell finished sixth among SEC backs in yards rushing but was suspended from the New Mexico State game after a failed drug test. He also limped off so often with a bad ankle that, by the SEC championship game and the Capital One Bowl, discontent among Georgia fans in the stands was aurally apparent.
On the one hand, Crowell is a superb player. On the other, he became a major distraction in no time flat. At halftime of the Vanderbilt game, Richt was asked by an interviewer why Crowell hadn’t played in the first quarter. “Because we love him,” was the coach’s answer. (Actually, the first-quarter holdout had been another suspension, this for “undisclosed disciplinary reasons.”)
And now he has been arrested, and not just for dinging a car in a parking garage or effecting an improper exit of an alley on a motor scooter. Crowell has been charged with felonies involving a firearm, and according to the UGA Student-Athlete handbook — perhaps the most-thumbed reference tome on campus — any felony arrest carries “immediate suspension from athletic competition.”
(Footnote: Crowell’s arrest came one day shy of the two-year anniversary of Damon Evans’ midnight ride through Buckhead, a misadventure that cost the Georgia athletic director his job.)
On Signing Day 2011, Crowell’s announcement for Georgia set off wild celebration. He was the capper atop the famous Dream Team, the latest in a long line of New Herschel Walkers. Only nine months later, Richt was quoted as saying, “There’s a tremendous opportunity for running backs in [the 2012] class to come to Georgia and make an impact.”
Sure enough, the Bulldogs landed the highly regarded Keith Marshall and Todd Gurley, though neither was quite so highly ranked as Crowell. Ordinarily you’d expect big-name recruits to avoid a program that had landed a big-name tailback the year before, but it had already become apparent that a team with Crowell as Plan A had better have workable Plans B and C.
There was a time when Georgia felt it needed this tailback so badly that it had 10 jersey-wearing incumbents array themselves in an offensive set and beckoned Crowell to dot the “I.” This became known as the “Missing Man” formation. It also became a self-reported secondary NCAA violation.
After Crowell’s second suspension, we posed the question: Was the famous recruit more trouble than he was worth? After this felony arrest, we have our answer. He has been the most-discussed Bulldog from the moment he unveiled that puppy at his signing ceremony, and in the swelter of summer we’re discussing him still, and not in a way that confers honor on the player or the school.
Yes, he’s a talent. Yes, he would have helped the Bulldogs win. (Heck, he already did.) In the grand scheme, however, the University of Georgia has no further need for Isaiah Crowell. He’s not worth this much aggravation. Nobody is.
By Mark Bradley
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384 comments Add your comment
82DAWG
June 29th, 2012
1:25 pm
My first request to the police would be FINGER PRINT THE GUN….
Moobs Johnson
June 29th, 2012
1:25 pm
With players from the Georgia program getting in trouble every year, how does Mark Richt keep his hands clean? At what point do those in charge realize the players inside the program is out of control?
GEORGIA97
June 29th, 2012
1:29 pm
@JWOOD…..you need to brush up on the law. The presence of an odor of marijuana is probable cause for a search. But, I do agree, never let the law peek inside your car even if you’ve got nothing to hide. The Constitution gives us that protection.
DAWG COLONEL
June 29th, 2012
1:29 pm
Time to cut our losses. Another great talent who will take his place with the Ealeys and Kings of UGA history.
Fortunately, we have some excellent freshmen who can step up and carry the load.
But, this distraction must be put to rest……….once and forever.
chizek is funny looking
June 29th, 2012
1:31 pm
Maybe he should have gone to Alabama (where this behavior is swept under the rug) or LSU (where this behavior seems to be encouraged).
OkieDawg
June 29th, 2012
1:31 pm
They were in Crowell’s silver four-door 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis…SWEET. Crow knows how to roll.
St. Richt
June 29th, 2012
1:32 pm
Knew it wouldn’t be long before the little punk JB tried to deflect this onto Bama and Saban. You are as transparent as UGA’s offensive scheme.
wes
June 29th, 2012
1:33 pm
How could Richt not see this one coming and why did he continue to recruit such an enormously obvious thug of an individual?
Keep doing your school proud, Mark!
Old Dawg
June 29th, 2012
1:33 pm
What a freaking idiot! What a freaking waste of talent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fallout from IC
June 29th, 2012
1:35 pm
If the charges are true, Crowell is gone. Collateral damage is to other schools chasing Alvin Kamara, Derrick Henry, and Tyshon Dye. I think Kamara will commit in July, and one of the other big name backs will join him. Without Crowell, UGA’s depth chart is still intimidating, but not nearly as much as before.
St. Richt
June 29th, 2012
1:35 pm
Yep…Bama sweeps felony gun possession and everything else right under the rug. Not like arrests are a pattern at UGA or anything. You think maybe just maybe your players aren’t afraid of St. Mark and his milqetoast discpline as Bama’s are of Saban?
UGA fans have to be dizzy when they are required to spin day after day. Your “Harvard of the South” cesspool of a university is an embarrassment to the SEC…and that is saying something.
Go Dawgs!
June 29th, 2012
1:37 pm
I’m sorry, but what the hell does Damon Evans’ arrest two years ago have to do with anything in this column? That’s bush league, Mark.
St. Richt
June 29th, 2012
1:37 pm
Your whole program is bush league.
He will at least have health care
June 29th, 2012
1:42 pm
I Crowell is an example of the young people today that expect it to be handed to them. At least this kid will have health care on his parent’s policy until he is 26.
Until USA gets grip, this crap will grow. I am over 60 and this is what we have become due to wellfare and public high schools.
If there is an “Arab Spring” ever in the USA, these inner city thug kids will be dealt with and straightened up in three days by Sharia Law.
jerry
June 29th, 2012
1:43 pm
“Because we love him,” was the coach’s answer.
How far does that love go now?
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
June 29th, 2012
1:45 pm
Rumor within the Georgiee AD complex is the AD is on the warpath and plans to fire another women’s coach!
@JB and you other pitful leg humpers blaming Nick Saban for your hypocrite coach ability to manage his team….suck it sport.
Bammer
June 29th, 2012
1:46 pm
UGA is a total embarrassment to the SEC…and that is saying something. At least the other programs that get in trouble have something to show for it…but you all think winning the SEC East is as good as it gets so you think you’re equal.
You’re not.
Where's the GATA
June 29th, 2012
1:47 pm
What needs to change in the NCAA-
- No offers until senior year of the senior year and SAt requirements passed. Too many players who want to be and would stay passed over
-At 18 you are supposed to be a man, most football freshman are near 20. Freshmen need to be ineligible since we have 20 year old boys on our campus.
This might save the players life.
And maybe coaches who put up with way too much will not completely kill our sport which seems inevitable.
TheTruth
June 29th, 2012
1:48 pm
Maaaaaaan…you’z gotz ta have yo piece on you wenz you be doinz da felony lean in yo’r rollin’ crib baby!!
Glenn
June 29th, 2012
1:51 pm
LCDawg, with all of the other arrests going on around campus the past few years, maybe he was carrying because he thought he needed the gun for self protection!
GIVE ME A BREAK
June 29th, 2012
1:54 pm
Not good for the University of Georgia and the state of Georgia. Athletes need more guidance and counseling when they enter college. This guy has possibly wasted a chance at a free education and a shot at the NFL. Stupid is not a strong enough word to describe him.
Stinger 2
June 29th, 2012
1:55 pm
Not a Crowell fan. However, no one should be convicted in the media or on sports blogs until the facts are known, and if indicited, he has been tried and convicted.
lanier
June 29th, 2012
1:56 pm
still love him Mark
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
June 29th, 2012
1:56 pm
The missing man team….for real…no doubt……Have gun will travel….
The rest of us should NOT be laughing for it will our team by morning. Oh hel! lets laugh anyway…
where is Destin Dawg,Dawginlex, Flo-ri-dah…..I am sure Jordan Jenkins parents are more than happy that Athens is a great place instead of that evil T-town and Nick Saban….
Columbus
June 29th, 2012
1:56 pm
Its official to Bradley but NOT UGA. Bradley you should be held LIBEL for this headline that is ALL OPINION and not reflective of UGA. Secondly NOONE knows how the gun got under the seat and it CERTAINLY was NOT used. it was ONLY UNDER A SEAT!
Crowell has a CLEAN record. Dont rush to judgement. The gun was there but not even pulled out, shot etc. Felony charges will be dropped. I assure you. IF Crowell knew the gun was there he probably would not have let the cops search the car, you know?
That being said…..Nothing good comes from being out that late and its bad influence on the other players. Bad decision making again and likely smoking weed again. IF Crowell gets another chance with UGA it will be his last.
This is not as bad as it seems and Bradley is blowing it out of proportion with his HIGHLY subjective opinion based on little info. Bradley likes to throw fuel on a fire and watch it burn. Just like he done Mark Richt all of 2010. Just like he does everything. Bradley is what this world needs less of. He is a hater and tries to make things worse. Things are bad enough then comes bradley with his hatin’ to drive the final nail in when 90% of the time he is clueless and WRONG!
Big Al
June 29th, 2012
1:57 pm
Have a little dose of Hugathug. Mark Richt loves them all. LOL
5 star nightmare
June 29th, 2012
1:57 pm
well I will hand it to the Law Enforcement in Clarke County, good for you. The good ole boys in Gainesville FL had all charges dropped against Cam Newton for stealing thinking he was their Heisman boy. But it backfired and Scam Newton became Auburn’s Heisman boy because they had the cash in hand. The Chizek vultures in college football will let you play Crowell, they do not care.
sheepdawg
June 29th, 2012
1:57 pm
typical uga thug, when will cmr be held accountable for recruiting a long line of sub par citizens
Homepage | MrSEC
June 29th, 2012
1:59 pm
[...] This writer says Isaiah Crowell has proved to Georgia that he’s more trouble than he’s worth. (We wrote earlier today that a source inside UGA’s administration told us today would be the [...]
slydog
June 29th, 2012
2:00 pm
when are you people going to learn: It’s not the recruits Georgia is getting. It’s all about “control.” Nowhere else in the SEC are 5-10 of the most talented players (among those who we expect to receive a lot of playing time) on a single roster faced so many program killer discipline issues. It’s the man at the top. The players love him, but they don’t respect him or the university. Add the other attrition issues and you have “lack of program control.” Frankly, I’m surprised Georgia Football isn’t on probation. Some coaches know how to keep “borderline” and troublesome players in line, but CMR just can’t seem to do it, regardless of the punishments. You do the math. As long as CMR is in place, lack of discipline and bone-headed decisions will be the norm. That is why signing players like Nkemdiche and Foster are so important. You must have very talented players on the second and third line to make up for idiots with bad decision-making ability. After the first 22, where exactly is the game-busters at? With 6 weeks to go before camp, this team should have been on lock down. Let’s move past Crowell and focus on a bigger issue: What the heck are FIVE players doing riding in a Mercury (hint to black men:red flag. Rodney Garner, where are you?) at 3:00 am on Thursday night in Athens? It was a bone-headed decision to make in the first place. Especially when you [forgot] that the pistol was in the car….lol. IF Crowell and the 4 idiots weren’t smoking in the car, AND IF Crowell would not have had 4 other passengers, this would be a non-issue. Simple as that. Cause I know there are people on here leaving negative, racist, prejudiced comments, who have pistols under their seats as well, loaded, and no concealed weapons permit at all. Hypocrits!!!
abby normal
June 29th, 2012
2:02 pm
Crowell cannot be allowed to play another down at UGA…..it’s as simple as that!! No more coddling of a self-centered, immature jerk.
Steve
June 29th, 2012
2:02 pm
Here is my question. Almost all teams in the ACC and SEC recruit the most talented players and give them offers. Why is it that UGA only gets the ones who get into trouble? You never hear about these problems at SC, UT (not anymore), UF (not anymore), LSU, Bama, UK, etc yet they are all recruiting the same players for the most part. Why does UGA always end up with the bad ones?
George
June 29th, 2012
2:06 pm
Georgia has plenty of gifted running backs. They will be just fine. IC will land at some other school and we will will eventually be watching him on Sundays as he makes mega bucks. That’s just the way of it. And I very much enjoy reading Mark Bradley. I don’t always agree with what he writes, but then again my wife and I don’t always agree either.
SecFan
June 29th, 2012
2:06 pm
Because the recruits know which coaches are likely to give them the most slack and choose accordingly.
Carolina Canine
June 29th, 2012
2:08 pm
It is apparent that none of the players fear discipline from Richt and his “love them to death” approach is a dismal failure. Until there is regime change, there will be new obstacles to a top tier program appear regularly.
AlanFalcon
June 29th, 2012
2:10 pm
Face it you Ga. Bulldog fans, this is just another example of the types of atheletes your coach recruits, its no wonder these type of problems are always present.
GTBob
June 29th, 2012
2:13 pm
Felony charges will be dropped. I assure you.
I don’t think you understand how serious of a charge it is to have a firearm with the serial number filed off. Unless it can be proven that this was not his gun then he is screwed.
Gimpie
June 29th, 2012
2:15 pm
Ya know, where there is smoke there is usually fire. Why these bad things happen to Isaiah I say’a. Hey, you gonna finish those fries????
hornblowermg
June 29th, 2012
2:19 pm
it’s the type/profile player that the official recruiting coordinator continues to prefer above all others (ain’t that Rodney!?). why doesn’t someone say something about that? would some school please steal that talented coach from us.
Nesbitt for Heisman
June 29th, 2012
2:20 pm
Spot on MB, what a wasted (literally) talent.
PMC
June 29th, 2012
2:24 pm
Unfortunately, he’s the new Tony Cole.
Time
June 29th, 2012
2:25 pm
First off, to the ultra pathetic trolls of other schools trying to dance on what you evidently hope is the grave of Isiah Crowell just because he goes to UGA shows that you probably ought to hold off casting stones given that house you live in.
Secondly. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? It appears to be just accuse somebody and then let they virtual lynch mob just tear them down till there’s nothing left. And I’m sorry, so what if he’s got a gun. These gun laws are borderline unconstitutional to begin with IMO. Unless he was using it in the act of committing a real crime, I don’t care and it should be noone else’s business. Maybe if the cops were out you know, doing there jobs and protecting people, instead of creeping around trying to pull over whoever they think they can make some money off of on the streets, then maybe people wouldn’t feel the need to pack. But they do.
PaulieOldSchool
June 29th, 2012
2:28 pm
Buh-Bye, Isaiah. Oh, and I guess I’m looking like a genius now because I didn’t think Richt should receive a new contract, let alone that last year or so on the old one. You get what you pay for.
@Steve
June 29th, 2012
2:28 pm
Your premise is incorrect. Probably most recent is Cam Clear at UT.
@SEC fan
June 29th, 2012
2:30 pm
The programs cutting the most slack on drug usage are everyone in the SEC that gives a mulligan on the first failed test. UK and UGA suspend right off the bat. Kept secret at other schools.
DAWG FAN FROM DOUGLISVILLE
June 29th, 2012
2:33 pm
WHAT EVERY HAPEND 2 INOCENT UNTIL PROVED GULTY?
On the recruiting front in Athens
June 29th, 2012
2:34 pm
Rueben Foster back in Athens for second straight weekend. Alvin Kamara also there (looks like a UGA lock now), along with 5* 2014 running back Bo Scarborough from Alabama. Scarborough will be hard to pull out of the state, but getting him on campus is always good. I think we get Kamara, and either Tyshon Dye or Derrick Henry for 2013.
ole dawg
June 29th, 2012
2:34 pm
Is he a distraction? YES. Is he a dumb—? Apparently. Is he the first college kid to ever smoke weed and have a weapon in his car? Probably not. I could care less what CMR does with IC. He is the coach. I do think some of the UGA fans are way out of touch with what is going on in our society. A huge percentage of young men are being raised with no father figure in the home and they have a lack of discipline and respect in their lives. I know becasue I have coached them and mentored them. Our society has become a whiny, pansy, take no responsibilty society. UGA is not the only school taking these kids. Alabama was waiting in line on IC’s signature also. UT of Knoxville had kids beat the crap out of someone on the sidewalk and they are still playing. Not good but kind of makes you wonder how many things going on at other SEC schools would be treated differently if the spotlight of the Atlanta media were shining on their campus.
Jaded Dawgs Fan
June 29th, 2012
2:34 pm
This is just a sad story more than anything else. I don’t know if Crowell is a bad kid. I do know he’s young and stupid. He’s blown a great opportunity, and I just hope he can use this to learn from and become a better person. I feel bad for him in a way, but he must be responsible for his actions.
Apparently he’s destined to become the latest in a growing list of UGA running backs who, for one reason or another, were never able to live up to their advanced billing. King, Ealey, Lumpkin, Hollis, Sanks…I could continue, but I’d rather not. That’s why it’s hard for me to get really excited about Marshall and Gurley. Been let down too many times.
BKbroila
June 29th, 2012
2:35 pm
King, Ealey and Now Crowell….3 years back to back #1 RBs in the state of Georgia…why so much trouble out of the RB’s? Because these guys are premadonnas who are put on a pedistal automatically and have that rock star mentality….the difference between them and Greene, Shockley, Matt Stafford and Aaron Murray….the QB position requires a friggin BRAIN…these brainless morons don’t have to be smart, they want glory and RB position is obviously one where you don’t have to be smart to succeed…..doesn’t work off the field, dumbasses!!!!