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
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
384 comments Add your comment
kevin
June 29th, 2012
3:46 pm
Stop recruiting ONLY BY STAR RANKING (5*, 4*, 3*) and start looking JUST AS MUCH AT CHARACTER as you do STARS. STAR-RATING is a very unscientific GUESSING GAME. Character evaluation IS NOT. More Keith Marshalls, please, even if they don’t have 4 or 5 stars. More Ray Drews. NO MORE CROWELLS. Is it really hard to know if a high school senior is a trouble-maker prone to spending time in jail?
DDPO
June 29th, 2012
3:47 pm
UGA committed violations while recruiting this guy!
Pot… Meet Kettle!
kevin
June 29th, 2012
3:48 pm
DDPO, probably not good to use the word pot right now
Michael G.
June 29th, 2012
3:48 pm
“the Bulldogs landed the highly regarded Keith Marshall and Todd Gurley, though neither was quite so highly ranked as Crowell.”
uh…..Mark, Keith Marshall was the #1 ranked running back in this year’s recruiting class. That is as highly ranked as Crowell was the year before.
Crowell is now an afterthought. Plug in Marshall and go get another division and hopefully conference championship.
kevin
June 29th, 2012
3:51 pm
Michael G, I agree with what you just said and thought the same thing.
kevin
June 29th, 2012
3:55 pm
Jimmy62, you don’t think there’s anything MORALLY wrong with getting high on drugs? Last time I checked, it’s not fun to ride in the passenger seat of a car with a driver high on marijuana. There’s a reason marijuana is illegal. But just to be safe, if people think it’s no more dangerous than alcohol, let’s make alcohol illegal again, too. Then the biggest problem on our roads will be idiots driving and texting.
Gamecockrock
June 29th, 2012
3:55 pm
There just aren’t many Lattimores, are there? Oh, well. It’s summertime at UGA. Nothing new.
DDPO
June 29th, 2012
3:56 pm
Kevin -
Well played and excellent catch!
TIM FROM TOCCOA
June 29th, 2012
3:57 pm
HE’S A DGD! GATA!
Jimmy62
June 29th, 2012
4:01 pm
Kevin: First off, as far I know he wasn’t arrested for DUI, so who says he was high? He just had weed. Second, I’ve been the passenger in the car with someone who was high and I was just fine. I’ve also been the passenger in a car with a drunk driver and I was terrified and will never get myself in that situation again.
Driving while stoned on pot is no more impairing than driving while on ritalin or driving while on any number of cold medications.
Pot is far less dangerous than alcohol. You want to bring back prohibition, though? I guess you don’t learn, huh? Our real biggest problem is people like you, who hear something from an authority figure (pot is bad!) and believe it and never change their view or truly educate themselves despite all the evidence in the world that the authority figure was full of self-serving %(*()$%.
LouciferDawg
June 29th, 2012
4:02 pm
Come on people ! IC may not be the brightest crayon in the box but do you really think he would’ve consented to a search if he’d known there was a gun under his seat. I mean he was confident enough
to know there was no weed in the car. And for those that doubt his story, I’ve been to many a club where management looks the other way to people smoking pot. What I want to know is why aren’t the Athens police investigating this club. Let’s hear all the facts before we rush to a decision. Remember innocent until proven guilty.
Jimmy62
June 29th, 2012
4:05 pm
Oh, and the reason marijuana is illegal is because it’s illegal. It’s got nothing to do with the substance, and everything to do with it being illegal for so long that entire industries (pharma, prisons, police drug units, and a lot of politicians) would be devastated were we to apply science to drug laws. There’s no scientific reason for it to be illegal, no moral reason, just a lot of people who will be out of jobs, and other people who don’t want to admit to being wrong.
georgedawg
June 29th, 2012
4:06 pm
We should try to understand. It sounds crazy but we expect too much of these teen age boys. It’s a culture that he grew up in and is glorized in our society. I hope we work with him and help resurect his football career and help change his actions.
We can make it w/o him. Our drug policy is too hard and the Athens police.
mchardawg
June 29th, 2012
4:09 pm
Anyone ever ask how he afforded that puppy. They are $18k a pop.
DDPO
June 29th, 2012
4:09 pm
yes, DAWG FAN FROM D’VILLE (D AS IN DOUCHE)… Let’s hope that he sues the state. The state in which most of us pay taxes and will foot the state’s legal bills.
dmr
June 29th, 2012
4:09 pm
Crowell came upon the “two roads diverged in a wood.” Door #1 would lead him to hard work, becoming an SEC great, becoming a great teammate, becoming a leader, and after 3 seasons, becoming a MILLIONAIRE. Door #2 would make him Maurice Clarrett without the National Title! Guess which one Crowell chose?!
mchardawg
June 29th, 2012
4:09 pm
1800k
Sanders Commings
June 29th, 2012
4:10 pm
Gotts to go see my girl. Work off some of this stress…
mchardawg
June 29th, 2012
4:11 pm
enjoy Auburn IC
Wyatt Earp
June 29th, 2012
4:12 pm
Continue to enroll affirmative action thugs that should would never see a college unless they played a sport, have no ambiiton or chance to graduate and this is what you continue to get
Time
June 29th, 2012
4:12 pm
I know this…Mark Bradley and the rest of the AJC has always been way more trouble than they’re worth. Way to try and convict and sentence Mr. Crowell with absolutely zero knowledge of what really happened.
And even if it’s his, I’m pretty sure he’s probably carrying it because he feels he needs to for protection. Again, if the police were out actually doing their jobs, instead of sitting on the side of the roads meeting quota$$$$$ then maybe people, especially high profile people, wouldn’t feel the need to carry. And if you think Crowell is the only college player carrying a pistol, legal or not, then you’re just way too naive to even have a voice in a discussion.
Ryan Leaf
June 29th, 2012
4:13 pm
Could I borrow that Luger?
Damon E
June 29th, 2012
4:19 pm
Could I borrow those panties?
KeepDreaming
June 29th, 2012
4:20 pm
So which SEC team will pick him up? What a loser…
mitch h
June 29th, 2012
4:26 pm
get rid of the thug, find somebody who really wants to play. i`d rather have less talent but have team that plays as 1 heart beat
joeybiten
June 29th, 2012
4:27 pm
wonder how long before eric holder accuses the police dept of “racism” because so many black players have been arrested?
Buckeye
June 29th, 2012
4:27 pm
The difference with Isaiah, The Prematurily Annointed One, II, and Clarret is that at least Clarett helped us win a NC before he left scholl and went haywire.
Buckeye
June 29th, 2012
4:28 pm
Good use of scholarship dollars, eh dogs?
Buckeye
June 29th, 2012
4:29 pm
The photo (above) will forever be the highlight of his carreer. Typical of all things dogs, the glory occurs in the off-season.
Not A Lawyer
June 29th, 2012
4:30 pm
What exactly is the Georgia law on this?
I know if you carry a concealed gun on you without a license it is a crime and if you carry it strapped to your leg out in the open it is legal in most places.
So if drive with a gun out of site it is a crime. If it is laying in plain view is it a crime?
If I borrow my neighbor’s truck and he has a gun stashed behind the seat and I don’t know about it is it a crime?
Does the gun have to be loaded for it to be a crime?
If my house is in a school zone and I have a gun in my car either in plain view or under the seat is that a crime?
And isn’t it the court’s responsiblity to determine from some expert if the serial number was altered or not?
I’m just saying that we are all innocent until proven guilty in a court of law by a jury of our peers and that includes IC. If I were IC I would get a lawyer and start asking questions.
I would also ask if the traffic stop was stopping all cars or just certain cars, ie profiling. If so the search may be ruled illegal and thrown out.
IC is stupid if he knew the gun was there. He was unfortunate if he did not. Either way, IC get a good attorney that knows the law and let him ask the right questions.
Buckeye
June 29th, 2012
4:30 pm
As mentioned in prior blogs, line up the “Missing Man” formation one last time.
Daniel in Decatur
June 29th, 2012
4:36 pm
Will Richt never learn that this is the natural outcome when you recruit low class trash like Crowell, Ealey, and King? They have no morals or ethics, they’re illiterate, and they’re all about “me.” They’re like cancer to a team.
Richt’s punks continue to embarrass the state’s flagship university and everyone who lives in Georgia.
Barack
June 29th, 2012
4:38 pm
I call Eric Holder to intervene in this case.
ga gator
June 29th, 2012
4:39 pm
Buckeye it is rare that I am amused by you but that was a good one.
S Spurrier
June 29th, 2012
4:39 pm
all those recruits…same ol ga
SAL
June 29th, 2012
4:40 pm
Don’t recruit or play any thug with dread-locks!! Will we ever learn.
Caleb, Washaun and Isaiah
June 29th, 2012
4:40 pm
WE ARE…PUNK-U!
Joey
June 29th, 2012
4:41 pm
I felt embarrassed but a little sorry for IC when I found out about this, but when I read that he had some UGA freshmen players with him, I am now ready to send him packing, forever. It’s one thing to be a total, selfish, idiot, but to also be influencing younger teenagers to his BS, I now have no pity for him.
He gets what he deserves. I hope his Head Coach feels the same way.
At last.
George Zimmerman
June 29th, 2012
4:41 pm
Was he wearing a hoodie?
Now, tomorrow and forever!
June 29th, 2012
4:42 pm
The Richt Cup is ours!!!!! 50 arrests in 4 years! Beat that!
50 arrests in four years
June 29th, 2012
4:42 pm
News flash: the Fulmer Cup has officially been renamed the Richt Cup in honor of the only coach in America to rack up fifty players arrested in the short span of four years.
There IS a reason why UGA is called The Cesspool of the South.
A nice column by Mark Bradley, by the way.
Taylor Wooten
June 29th, 2012
4:42 pm
Glory to ole’ Georgia!
LOL
DDPO
June 29th, 2012
4:43 pm
Georgia coach Mark Richt supports the hard line.
“Every rule we have is for the benefit of these guys and for the team,” Richt said. “The discipline that we give does involve playing time, and that’s the thing guys covet the most. When you discipline guys and you take playing time away, I’m hoping that is something that sticks enough where it will change that individuals’ behavior for the better.”
ASK CROWELL WHAT HE THINKS ABOUT YOUR THEORY… THERE IS OBVIOULSY A LACK OF RESPECT OF CMR.
Steve Spurrier
June 29th, 2012
4:45 pm
Like I said…I always liked playing uga early…i rest my case
Return to Glory
June 29th, 2012
4:46 pm
Sad, I hope he gets his act together and has a good life. That said his time in Athens should be over, he is not a team player. He is a bad apple and will spoil those around him.
Good luck Mr. Crowell…somewhere else.
TIM FROM TOCCOA
June 29th, 2012
4:46 pm
Looks like Ed Tolley is going to have a busy weekend… He might be one of the best attorneys in the country!
Ron S
June 29th, 2012
4:46 pm
Jimmy you are one clueless idiot.
Jordan
June 29th, 2012
4:46 pm
Tell me, yall, I want to know: Should he stay or should he go?
http://pickens.fetchyournews.com/archives/1876-The-Final-Straw-Is-Isaiah-Crowell-Done-as-a-Dawg.html
50 arrests in four years
June 29th, 2012
4:47 pm
UGA’s infamous “Missing Man” formation has just been renamed the “Missing Thug” formation.
FIFTY IN FOUR!
June 29th, 2012
4:49 pm
F-I-F-T-Y arrests in F-O-U-R years!!!! 50 in 4 years!!!! 50/4. 12.5 arrests per year.