UGA QB Mettenberger arrested in South Georgia (UPDATED)
Zach Mettenberger, a candidate to be the University of Georgia’s starting quarterback in the fall, was arrested on five misdemeanor charges over the weekend in the South Georgia town of Remerton.
Mettenberger, 18, was charged with underage consumption/possession of alcohol, disorderly conduct, obstruction and two counts of possessing fake identification, Remerton Police Chief Mike Terrell told the AJC.
The police report, obtained by the AJC, does not provide details about the circumstances surrounding Mettenberger’s arrest at 1:39 a.m. Sunday at the Flip Flops bar in Remerton, which is near Valdosta.
“I don’t have much available right now,” Terrell said in an e-mail. “We are still investigating the circumstances that led to his arrest.”
Mettenberger was transported to the Lowndes County Jail, according to the police report. He later was released on bond. He has a court date scheduled for April 27.
Under UGA Athletic Association policy, a conviction on an alcohol-related charge would mean a mandatory suspension of at least one game. Georgia’s season opener is Sept. 4 against Louisiana-Lafayette.
Mettenberger, from Oconee County, is one of three contenders for Georgia’s starting quarterback job. Rated the No. 11 quarterback prospect in the nation by Rivals.com in 2008, Mettenberger was redshirted as a UGA freshman last season and began spring practice last week in competition with Aaron Murray and Logan Gray to succeed the graduated Joe Cox as the starter.
The arrest came early in UGA’s spring break, which runs through this week. The football team is not scheduled to resume practice until March 16.
A UGA spokesman said coach Mark Richt was aware of Mettenberger’s situation and will be getting more information on the matter. Richt is out of town and would have no immediate comment, the spokesman said.
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617 comments Add your comment
Not Disappointed!
March 8th, 2010
12:58 pm
Tech Fan here!……..The kid was drinking and SO What! Not many people can say they didn’t attempt to drink at his age or Drunk! He will learn from his mistake. It’s still a young man with a bright future.
I hope we beat UGA in late November…………….”Ramblin Wreck!”
Gt4ever
March 8th, 2010
12:59 pm
Shane, ARE YOU KIDDING? Only 6 infractions, maybe a multiple of 6. UGA has one of the dirtiest programs in the history of college football….. Vince Dooley was the WORST!
Terd Fergusson
March 8th, 2010
1:01 pm
Sweet Home Alabama…rednecks? here in Georgia? Sounds funny coming from a place where it’s considered a great weekend when you have a date with your sister and your way with your pet goat. What? That wasn’t a goat? That’s your MOM?….sorry….
dcp
March 8th, 2010
1:01 pm
Yeah dawgso1 – it’s a real conspiracy here. They were out to get Mettenberger and since he is a college kid, he deserves a break – never mind using a fake ID – everyone does that, right? What if he got into his card and smashed someone – would that change your mind, maybe? Perhaps they did him a favor and the rest of society by stopping him.
Wreckmaniac
March 8th, 2010
1:03 pm
CMR is suspending Mettenberger from all classes for a month. Pretty stiff, huh ?
drunktank
March 8th, 2010
1:04 pm
another day, another UGA arrest.
surprised? I think not.
Georgia Fan
March 8th, 2010
1:06 pm
You’re right, dcp. We owe the cops a favor….surely he was going to get in the car and drive, kinda like ol’ Joe Hamilton did a couple of years back. But wait, there were more serious charges involved in that occasion, or am I wrong?
Just the facts sir
March 8th, 2010
1:08 pm
Shane,
I’m flying up to DC to meet with the prez today and accept our congrats. Please shine my crystal trophy for me while I’m gone. I figure if you’re a good shoe shine boy you should be good at shining stuff like crystal balls also. Do a good job though cause when I return I’m giving it the white glove test. And if you fail the white glove test I’m sending my elephants back over to give you a beating that will make Blackout night look like a walk in the park.
southerndawg
March 8th, 2010
1:08 pm
look everybody, the kid made a mistake. Players for Bama,Fla,UGA,Gt and all the rest do the same thing. They just haven’t been caught. Let’s forget the holier than thou attitudes and solve our differences on the field. GO DAWGS!!!
Wreckmaniac
March 8th, 2010
1:09 pm
Having 1 beer or 2 or 3 is one thing. Have 25 is another. Being drunk is one thing. Getting feisty with police is another. Who knows what happened.
I know a very sharp young kid who was in Alaska working , got drunk and slugged a cop. He spent one full year in jail.
ctift
March 8th, 2010
1:11 pm
Remerton Ga…haha. I lived in Valdosta for 8 yrs and Remerton within the city is all of about 5 blocks with 1 block of bars. They prey on the college students there from the bars to waiting to give you a DUI when you leave. They pull you for anything hoping to get a DUI..rolling through stop signs…high beams…whatever
Gt4ever
March 8th, 2010
1:11 pm
Wreckmaniac,
you would probably have to be a football player at UGA to be dumb enough to slug a cop……
dawgfan13
March 8th, 2010
1:11 pm
This goes to show you that this guy is not capable of being a leader of any major college football program. He made a mistake and he should be given another chance, but i assure you that he has lost the starting job with this behavior off the field. Not so much about his talent, but the coaches will not be able to trust him.
Terd Fergusson
March 8th, 2010
1:12 pm
So it’s the cops’ fault he was driving drunk? Seriously?
RxDawg
March 8th, 2010
1:12 pm
“Compare the Dawgs to LSU: The Tigers have not had one incident with a football player since 2008 when Perrilloux was kicked off the team.
This has alot to do with who is paying off the cops. ”
Fixed
dcp
March 8th, 2010
1:13 pm
GA Fan -address the issue. Don’t lump me in with bitter fans that take shots at each other’s team – asking what you think should happen – just let it go?
big John
March 8th, 2010
1:14 pm
College students and alcohol. My son, a 19 year old college student, walked out of an Athens Bar after 2 beers. NOT DRUNK, NOT DRIVING, NOT
CAUSING TROUBLE. Bicycle cop drives up. “How old are you? 19, an honest answer. “Had any alcohol?” “Yes, 2 beers, another honest answer.
“SON ,You are underage and under arrest” Off to jail he goes. NOW I agree he was breaking the law but JAIL ! I don’t understand ! Took him
2 years to somehow get this cleared so he could fill out a resume
without listing this arrest. There needs to be a better way to handle
College students, who are NOT DUI and a few beers !!!!!!!!!!!
Drink it Up
March 8th, 2010
1:15 pm
Drinking at age 18 is no big deal–it’s a dumb law, based on politically correctness. You can join the military at age 17 and fight in Afghanistan, but can’t drink a beer? Let the kid go have a beer–the world will not end.
Lisa
March 8th, 2010
1:15 pm
A UGA football player getting arrested isn’t really news. It happens all the time.
We beat Vandy-- yeah!
March 8th, 2010
1:15 pm
Stay classly UGAY!
Dawg Gone
March 8th, 2010
1:17 pm
Ever see a UGA student cut somebody up with a sword? Ain’t no gangsta ninjas down here.
Be seein’ y’all in the fall.
Coach from Cheers
March 8th, 2010
1:17 pm
The legal drinking age should be 18…problem solved.
Señora Weeb
March 8th, 2010
1:19 pm
At least, in a down economy, UGA felon-athletes keep the bail bondsmen busy.
So it’s not all bad.
Simply Me
March 8th, 2010
1:23 pm
What is the definition of a THUG?
ugaaccountant
March 8th, 2010
1:23 pm
Another example of yellow journalism by the AJC. Keep it up and see how long you guys stay in business.
Dawg
March 8th, 2010
1:23 pm
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3458871
Short memory Bama folks…
Georgia Fan
March 8th, 2010
1:27 pm
Senora Weeb = Saint Simons and/or m
Too much of a pansy to use his original handle so he hides behind a new alias everyday.
Simply Me
March 8th, 2010
1:28 pm
Enter your comments here
How2fish
March 8th, 2010
1:31 pm
Just the facts sir well I wouldn’t think twice about that or the 2002 scandal if every other day some BAMA fan wants to jump on his high horse and scold anyone in the SEC on what it takes to run a good program. You don’t want to have that discussion because in the last 20 years BAMA has gotten very good at paying the price for cheating in football..and that Sir is a FACT..oh and Shane and I both know what you can do with your white glove.
Old Dawg New Trick
March 8th, 2010
1:31 pm
18 years old to vote. 18 years old to be tried as an adult and sent to prison or death for serious crimes.18 years old you can enlist or be DRAFTED in the military. 21 to drink?
Sweet Home Alabama
March 8th, 2010
1:32 pm
Mark Richt has just announced his punishment: 15 minutes with me and my sister-wife in our single wide.
89EAGLE
March 8th, 2010
1:32 pm
When O was in college, I probably could have been arrested for the samething. I’m not going to talk about how bad he is becasue he’s probably a good KID. I just love how UGA fans make it the fault of the police. Now that’s funny.
Georgia Fan
March 8th, 2010
1:33 pm
big John — that is why you “plead the 5th” when it comes to law enforcement. That cop knew (suspected) he was underage and had been drinking, but he couldn’t do anything about it until your son “confessed”. Don’t give the cops the rope to hang you with!!!
How2fish
March 8th, 2010
1:35 pm
Dawg that article stated he was the 10 player arrested that year 2008..but so many of the BAMA fans tells ,Saban won’t put up with that so how can that be..I mean a Bama fan can’t be wrong..or can they..LOL
UGA Rules!!
March 8th, 2010
1:43 pm
Hey this is terrific news for UGA!!! Similar behavior out of Matthew Stafford and he turned out as a #1 draft pick. UGA is a party school before academics and this young man simply fits our model of the typical student.
Go Dawgs!!! Woof Woof Woof!!!
MiamiDawg
March 8th, 2010
1:43 pm
Stupid Stupid Stupid….
that flushing sound you hear is a potentially great career headed for the sewers.
Bama Fan
March 8th, 2010
1:45 pm
What does “sanctimonious” mean?
GA Fans would excuse murder
March 8th, 2010
1:46 pm
I think the real trouble here is the disorderly conduct, obstruction and fake id charges.
Fair and Balanced
March 8th, 2010
1:48 pm
“Stupid is as stupid does.” This was a stupid thing done by a kid who simply needs some correction. Perhaps his parents might help but if I’m his coach I run his butt off till he vomits all over the field! the law is the law. He’s gotta respect it – like it or not. And if he wants to wear a helmet with a “G” on it – then learn what you are supposed to right now and move on. If not – move out!
Blowfish
March 8th, 2010
1:49 pm
Heh, I was in Remerton when it happened… kind of upset I didn’t see it go down, though. Meh, nothing special in Remerton, people get arrested left and right for underage drinking, drinking and driving, disorderly conduct, etc down there. The police are really out to get the college students. Remerton, itself, is the Alcohol hub INSIDE of Valdosta, it’s its own city, mind you, but it is completely within the city limits of Valdosta. It’s the college bar scene for Valdosta State University, which is down the street, literally, from Remerton. The police, in Remerton which is the size of about a city block completely made of bars and shoddy apartments, make a killing from arresting college students.
Interesting story, though, I was more interested in the Milledgeville case, that happened over the weekend, that I was watching on ESPN at Mulligan’s, a bar down a few from Flip Flops, when the UGA QB incident was going down.
blazerdawg
March 8th, 2010
1:50 pm
Remerton is actualy a pretty cool little strip of bars in old mill houses, just off of the Valdosta State University campus. They are pretty tolerant of the partying, as long as you are sober when you drive.
Dayman
March 8th, 2010
1:54 pm
I was in Charley O’s Blowfish and had no idea till right now. And yes for everone else I live in Valdosta and Remerton cops are crooked as hell, although I don’t doubt old dude was drunk.
Halsey
March 8th, 2010
1:55 pm
QBs and small UGA towns don’t mix.
lifetime DAWG
March 8th, 2010
1:56 pm
His mom works in the Athletic Department…. he will get off easy…. thats how he got his Scholarship in the first place….. good arm but a big baby! probably cried when he was arrested!!
89EAGLE
March 8th, 2010
1:56 pm
I think the real trouble here is the disorderly conduct, obstruction. He was explaining to the officer on how he is going to be the QB at UGA.
Jeremy Elder
March 8th, 2010
1:56 pm
Disorderly conduct? heh. Ain’t nuthin’. Boy should have done somethin’ to leave an impression like I did at ‘Bama. Reppin’ College Park and the Crimson Tide.
HawaiiDawg
March 8th, 2010
1:58 pm
Bama fans and Tech fans call say what they want about UGA and our team full thugs etc., and I can say…take a look at Tennessee.
Jerry
March 8th, 2010
2:01 pm
wow what a joke. This is so dumb. And I do not even blame the player. I am a student at Alabama but I have many buddies in Valdosta, So many UGA kids came through this past weekend on their way to Spring Break destinations. Remerton is like a little city within valdosta that is literally 1 square mile, they have like 6 cops. It just so happens that most off campus housing sits on this “city” and these cops always screw over college kids, especially if you are from the Atlanta area. Every college kid drinks and no college is any better, just matters if you get caught. Alabama football players actually got in a brawl at Rounders bar in Tuscaloosa this past weekend, so no one is perfect.
ATL Bama Fan
March 8th, 2010
2:04 pm
Shane,
Why does Alabama have the # 3 public school in the nation if GA’s education is so much better? The first GA school to show up on the list is at # 91, barely even making the top 100, 15 spots after another Alabama school.
Steve
March 8th, 2010
2:04 pm
Does it really make UGAy fans fell better to put down Bama? For goodness sake try and beat Florida every now and then Bama will be there waiting for another black out funeral.
RTR