Two other UGA players named, not charged, in police report (UPDATED)
UPDATE, 3:45 P.M. MONDAY:
ATHENS — Two teammates of arrested Georgia football players Dontavius Jackson and Tavarres King are named in the UGA Police Department’s report on the weekend incident.
Cornerback Branden Smith was a passenger in the vehicle driven by Jackson but was the only one of the five people in the 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche not arrested because he “was determined to have not been drinking,” according to the police incident report obtained by the AJC today.
Also, an identification card issued to Vance Cuff, a Georgia cornerback, was found on a female passenger in the vehicle and taken into evidence, according to the incident report. Cuff was not in the vehicle.
The report said Jackson, who was arrested on DUI and five other misdemeanor charges, “admitted to having consumed 2 shots while downtown” after initially telling police he had not consumed any alcohol. Jackson “appeared to not be trying to provide a sufficient sample” on the breath test, according to the report, and told police during a field sobriety test that a left knee injury affected his balance. The report said Jackson “stated that he had rear ended another vehicle” moments earlier.
King and two other passengers, not UGA athletes, were arrested on charges of underage possession of alcohol.
POSTED 7:33 P.M. SUNDAY:
The two Georgia football players arrested on alcohol-related charges this weekend were suspended from the team Sunday night by coach Mark Richt.
Backup tailback Dontavius Jackson and starting split end Tavarres King have been suspended indefinitely from all team activities, Richt said. More specifically, Richt said, Jackson will be required to sit out at least the first six games of the season — half of the schedule — and King will miss at least the Sept. 4 season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette.
Richt said he is still gathering information, which could lead to additional penalties.
“I’m disappointed in their decision-making and lack of judgment, and they will both pay a stiff price,” Richt said in a statement. “All our players need to understand that it’s a privilege to be a Bulldog, and their conduct needs to reflect the standards we expect.”
Jackson and King were arrested early Saturday after their vehicle was pulled over by UGA Police. Jackson, 20, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, underage possession of alcohol, following too closely, leaving the scene of an accident, violation of the move-over law and violation of learner’s permit. King, 19, was charged with underage possession of alcohol. Two other passengers in the vehicle — not UGA athletes — also were charged with underage possession of alcohol. A fourth passenger was not arrested.
The alcohol-related arrests of Jackson and King came just days after UGA athletics director Damon Evans resigned in the aftermath of his June 30 DUI arrest in Atlanta.
Jackson and King are the sixth and seventh Georgia football players arrested this year.
UGA Police Chief Jimmy Williamson told the AJC that Jackson and King were arrested after a series of events on East Campus Road early Saturday morning.
Williamson said two patrol cars were at an unrelated traffic stop when a vehicle — later determined to be driven by Jackson — passed at an inappropriate speed and failed to move over. As one of the patrol cars began pursuit of Jackson for allegedly violating the move-over law, a third officer put out a radio report of an incident moments earlier in which a vehicle had left the scene of a minor accident after rear-ending another car. The description of the vehicle that allegedly left the scene of the accident matched the one being pursued for the move-over violation, Williamson said.
When the vehicle was pulled over, Jackson was driving and had four passengers, Williamson said. Police determined the vehicle had damage consistent with the earlier accident. There were no injuries in that accident, Williamson said.
The vehicle, a 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche, is registered to King, Williamson said.
- More details on the arrests are here.
- And go here if you’re ready to talk some (on-the-field) Georgia football.
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601 comments Add your comment
SmyrnaMan
July 12th, 2010
9:58 am
WHERE ARE THE MUG SHOTS?
atlxmen
July 12th, 2010
10:01 am
did you guys see in 2007 12 fla players were arrested for more serious things than underage drinking?
it happens everywhere which sucks
RxDawg
July 12th, 2010
10:01 am
Geesh, neither player deserves to be kicked off the team. Neither one showed the violent tendencies that some of our other SEC university atheletes have shown recently. Jackson and King couldn’t of gotten in trouble at a worse time unfortunately and some of you aren’t thinking clearly. They deserve to be punished, and will have to earn their way back into good standing.
For all of you “DUI IS NO JOKE” folks, your right. But keep in mind D Jackson is 20. That pretty much means a sniff of beer will earn him a DUI because he is underage. The same rule of greater than 0.8 blood/alch level do not apply to him (which is total BS by the way). So don’t be to quick to just throw him under the bus. Did they ever come out with a blood level anyways?
Bottom line is these two kids messed up at the wrong time and most of you sitting on your throne of purity are over reacting.
bruce 12
July 12th, 2010
10:02 am
you people kill me if cmr did kick them off the team we went 5 &7 you would want to fire the coach for not winning games put yourself in cmr place i think he does a great job it starts at home
Reason
July 12th, 2010
10:04 am
Taxes don’t pay for athletic scholarships, the athletic department made money independently and gave the school money last year. MPI is not a big deal.
Gatorzone
July 12th, 2010
10:07 am
What’s the big deal? This happens everywhere, and if Damon Evans had not been recently arrested it would be overlooked.
Some of you self rightous people need to get a grip. They are young men doing the same things that 90% of the fans do, so give me a break.
And Gator fans, we got our own issues so you might want to STFU! Carlos Dunlap? Frankie Hammond?
Tom
July 12th, 2010
10:08 am
And the beat goes on…..what a joke this school is becoming. But then again what do we expect. You are talking about a student body and fan base that prides themselves on how many bars they have, as if that is what makes a college town great. Keep thinking this UGA fans….it’s really working out for you. Maybe this is why you have 2 SEC titles in 30 years.
UGA = Clemson = Perennial Underachievers
July 12th, 2010
10:12 am
Red panties and now this….
Wow, UGA thanks for making ‘making fun of you’ so easy
uuugh.
July 12th, 2010
10:14 am
RMP. Florida? Yes. Bama? Inexplicably no.
All SEC schools recruit the same kids. They all entertain themselves similar to the rest of the student body at the respective schools. Are you honestly saying that there is no under-age drinking in Gainesville and Tuscaloosa!?
There have been several posts here about how the Athens Clark County police used to look OUT for the players rather than look for them. I think this has to be the situation in Tuscaloosa. Have you been to Tuscaloosa? There is less to do there than in Athens. It is not like Alabama just happens to pick all of the good character guys out of the pool of 4 and 5 star recruits.
I am not saying what these kids did was right…but one poor decision (or 2 or 3 even) should not wreck a kid’s entire future. A real famous guy said we should “forgive seven times seventy times.” I am in no position to say that guy was wrong.
Many of you unsympathetic people out there should be ashamed of yourselves.
Woofer
July 12th, 2010
10:17 am
Red panties are falling from the sky!!!
Get used to it, dawgies, you’re going to be seeing them for a long time.
A very long time.
bigdawg
July 12th, 2010
10:18 am
That famous guy said forgive and he was right but he didn’t say not to punish the guility…eye for a eye
Scott W.
July 12th, 2010
10:18 am
Please, this moral outrage wouldn’t be here if we had a few NC. The Dawg Fans would be on here like delusional Alabama fans who think that they have the cleanest program in the land. Your tax dollars go to UGA but they don’t go to scholarships, FYI. This crap is terrible! I can’t wait for the season to start so ya’ll can go back to posting how to coach and back off the righteous stance.
dawgmeat
July 12th, 2010
10:20 am
uuugh, U believe OJ Simpson was innocent too? the 1st time not 2nd.
tsk, tsk
July 12th, 2010
10:23 am
surely by now everybody knows that UGA schedules a patsy for thier opening game so that they can suspend thier starters for that game and not lose anything. That’s thier “get out of jail” game
Erin
July 12th, 2010
10:23 am
And the beat goes on…..what a joke this school is becoming. But then again what do we expect. You are talking about a student body and fan base that prides themselves on how many bars they have, as if that is what makes a college town great. Keep thinking this UGA fans….it’s really working out for you. Maybe this is why you have 2 SEC titles in 30 years.
Kudos to Tom, he has it 100% correct!
Editor
July 12th, 2010
10:28 am
Bigdawg, “an eye for an eye” is from the Old Testament of the Bible, not the New Testament.
jimbotaylor
July 12th, 2010
10:28 am
Agree with Erin and Tom 100%. The Title party school is a disgrace to the State.
shankit
July 12th, 2010
10:31 am
Mondays are great in Athens, everyone was
hung over yesterday, and no arrests to report todya.
bigdawg
July 12th, 2010
10:31 am
Editor, do you not believe in both? Do u just believe the parts u wish?
blazer
July 12th, 2010
10:41 am
the starter will only miss the first BIG game!! ???
Delbert D.
July 12th, 2010
10:46 am
There is a real market for implantable blood alcohol monitors. Hey, they could even include GPS locators.
AltamahaDawg
July 12th, 2010
10:47 am
You got to love all the “advice” the rival give us on what somebody else’s punishment should be. I notice they NEVER qualify it with stating what thier own college team’s policy is for the same offense.
#1Stunna
July 12th, 2010
10:51 am
I think the issue here is that Coach Richt is too nice of a guy to hand down tough disciplinary action. He needs to have a disciplinarian on his staff that’s not afraid to put a foot up someone’s a$$ when they get outta line. That’s just my take on it.
Dixiedawg
July 12th, 2010
10:51 am
I wonder how many of you that are posting have ever been in a situation where they were drinking and driving or underage drinking. Everyone blames the coach for every players actions off the field. This goes back to how the kids were raised by their parents. They were hopefully taught right from wrong. They were taught you break the law you pay the penalty. Just because they are no longer in their parents house, doesn’t mean they don’t have to follow the teachings of their parents. It makes the parents look bad. It happens at all of the other universities in this state including Tech. These boys have to grow up. They have to realize that nobody is responsible for their actions but themselves. They shouldn’t have to have Coach Richt or their parents babysit them. If they do, then they are to immature to be playing football.
All taxpayers do not pay for their scholarships, just donors to the Athletic Association. I am a donor and have been for 34 years. I was a tutor to many of the former players. Back then they all lived at McWhorter Hall and had curfews. The babysitting ended not just at Georgia but all schools. So I say boys growup.
I Could Have Put Some Lame Name Here
July 12th, 2010
10:52 am
yawn
I Could Have Put Some Lame Name Here
July 12th, 2010
10:55 am
For the next 15 Minutes can only the people who did not drink underage post anything. Also Keep in mind that if you are under the age of 21 DUI means any alcohol. It doesn’t mean you were drunk. He could have had 1 beer or a 1/2 a beer or a keg. The law sees it the same.
Get a LIFE leave the kids alone and when your life and house is perfect then holla at the rest of us and CMR. Until then…….KICK ROCKS!!!
AltamahaDawg
July 12th, 2010
10:56 am
I vote for some electro-shock proximity chips installed on signing day.
Dawgtards ruin this state
July 12th, 2010
10:57 am
It’s been quite a week for thUGA. The driver needs to be kicked off the team.
Damon the Dirty Dawg
July 12th, 2010
11:00 am
Those two kids are alot of fun at happy hour.
Carolina Gator Lover
July 12th, 2010
11:04 am
Glad to meet your 15 minute deadline. I did not drink till I was 21 and I still hate the dawgs.
Dawg Tired
July 12th, 2010
11:06 am
I hear people saying things like a Minor in Possession of alcoholic beverges is no big deal. Well, in one sense that is true. However, when you are a member of a major college football team you should be aware of the problems with players getting treated a lot differently than the rest of the student population. In addition, you should be aware of the public’s lack of tolerance for this kind of stuff. We are absolutely feed up with these kids making such poor decisions. It is time for it to stop.
These kids just don’t get it. We need to move to a zero tolerance rule. If these guys want to play college football, they need to toe the line. No under age drinking period. When I played high school football (before most on this site were born)anyone caught drinking was automatically thrown off the team. Guess what, most all of us decided that playing football was our top priorty and did not drink (even though many of the other students did). In my four years in high school, we had one player kicked off for drinking. He was a great player but we all agreed with the coach because we all knew the rule.
I repeat, these kids just don’t get it. Dismiss them from the team. Adopt a zero tolerance rule.
Handcuffs across America: Your epic weekend rap sheet roundup | Sport News
July 12th, 2010
11:08 am
[...] • Oh, Georgia. The margin of error for the seemingly endless stream of alcohol-related offenses at Georgia is even slimmer after the rapid fall of athletic Damon Evans earlier this month, and Dontavius Jackson and Tavarres King are the first to feel the brunt of the crackdown. Jackson, a backup running back, has been suspended for at least six games, one for each charge he obtained (driving under the influence of alcohol, underage possession of alcohol, following too closely, leaving the scene of an accident, violation of the move-over law and violation of learner’s permit) during a DUI arrest early Saturday morning. (Why a 20-year-old college junior was driving on a learner’s permit is the mystery.) King, 19, will miss at least the season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette for getting dinged with underage possession, per athletic department policy. [...]
One, two, free, fo, fi, them der Gator don't take no jive!
July 12th, 2010
11:17 am
My opinion is Jackson should get the boot. The other kid should get a suspension from 1-3 games. Depends on how remorseful Richt feels he is.
To all those Gator fans on here throwing stones, please use some common sense. We’ve had and will continue to have our fair share of players getting into trouble. No one is immune to it when you are dealing with young men that age.
uuugh.
July 12th, 2010
11:20 am
Dawgmeat…I was not passing judgement. If they are guilty, which I assume they are, we should be forgiving and let them earn back their spot on the team.
…to your point, if he is in fact guilty, yes, even OJ deserves forgiveness if he asks for it.
Now…if one of our football players cuts a lady’s head off, I think they should probably be kicked off the team.
Carolina Gator Lover
July 12th, 2010
11:22 am
Find it interesting that Jackson was driving King’s car. It shows that King has a little bit of sense – suggesting(?)/asking(?)/cajoling(?)/forcing(?)/allowing(?) Jackson to drive so he wouldn’t get a DUI. Maybe they do teach football players SOMETHING at Athens.
martha
July 12th, 2010
11:24 am
people are so dumb — your AD just gets busted fired with nothing good to say about him — yet it didn’t sink in for some right there in the same program — screw ‘em — just kick ‘em off the team — maybe someone will learn
One, two, free, fo, fi, them der Gator don't take no jive!
July 12th, 2010
11:24 am
Altahama Dawg,
Carlos Dunlap was kicked off of the team the week before the SECCG for a DUI. I believe that’s the polciy at UF. To my knowledge, he was never in any kind of trouble before that. That’s why I say that Jackson should get the boot. Possession should be a suspension, but DUI is pretty serious….along with his other charges.
Once again, I’m not judging anyone at UGA becuase we at UF have our fair share of this, as well. Just stating my opinion.
Mustang
July 12th, 2010
11:27 am
The DAWGS still don’t have a federal felon like the Jackets do!!
HugoStiglitz
July 12th, 2010
11:28 am
uuugh, lets say Jackson rammed into someone and killed them. Something that happens several thousand times a year in the US. Should he be kicked off the team? He made the same decision in both cases so should he just get a 6 game suspension? Afterall he is just doing what everybody does according to UGA fans.
The Dogfighter Returns
July 12th, 2010
11:51 am
“All our players need to understand that it’s a privilege to be a Bulldog, and their conduct needs to reflect the standards we expect.”
—-
Really Marc, why don’t you just come out and say drinking is immoral and no one should be drinking. It is pointless and destructive.
Nancy
July 12th, 2010
11:52 am
RedPantsDawg–great idea!
The Dogfighter Returns
July 12th, 2010
11:54 am
Great story. What would you folks do if nothing like this ever happened? Five pages of comments.
This is part of the American culture. Drink until you drop. Drink and use it as an excuse to behave like an ass.
I Could Have Put Some Lame Name Here
July 12th, 2010
12:00 pm
We all do stuff that COULD have turned out worse. You don’t punish for what could have happened. If that’s the case we are all doomed. That stop sign you only paused at. Those tires you didn’t properly inflate, etc etc
And unless and until every college student is held to the same standard they should not be kicked out of school.
Isn’t the whole point of the NCAA to ensure that athletes do not get special treatment? That should go both ways!! Schollys are not free. I worked my @ss off for mine and these guys are doing the same thing.
How2fish
July 12th, 2010
12:11 pm
One, two, free, fo, fi, them der Gator don’t take no jive! Good post Jackson as far as I know has never been in trouble so I’m good with the 6 games..if it was his second time he should go! Underage drinking and that’s all and a 1st offense I’m good with a 1 game suspension at UGA or anywhere else…the 18 year old drinking age is a joke we have entire generations growing up with a built in contempt for the law..a law they and we know is unfair and unfounded.Rather than get on our “our kids don’t do this” bandwagon we need to see what we can do to address this issue..if you can put a gun in a persons hand at 18 you damn sure should be able to put a beer in that same hand. Drinking and driving and assault is not what I’m talking about so please spare me.
AltamahaDawg
July 12th, 2010
12:11 pm
Thanks Jive. I hadnt read your post, so I wasnt picking on you specifically. More the the folks who seem to have an opinion oh how they think we need to do everything, everyday, every topic. facts be damn.
I know Richt kicked a couple guys offf the team with no prior issues (known) recently, so he obviously is willing to do that al ong with Meyer in some cases. I would be willing to bet that UF does not have a stated policy that any athlete charged with a DUI is an automatic dismiss though.
Although maybe it should be. There and here.
Now with Dunlap, the timing before the biggest game of the year is a different category of screw up. “kicking him the team” is really just defacto in that case. Thats basically a one game suspension. The bowl game is automatic for any little thing. Smart On Meyer’s case since he got to prove a valuable point with something that was really already the case. Dunlap wasn’t going to play another game in a Gator Uni anyway. And why would you want a guy standing around for no reason bad vibing everybody else at that point? Not sure Dunlap gets his career ended with UF if he had done that in the summer of his sophomore year, however.
Jackson may very well be dealt with more harshly when all the facts come out. Agree with you that underage drinking alone is a suspension. To me that is less of a menace to society than driving, or 34mph in the outskirts of a school zone, in which I doubt anyone would bat an eye.
Perry Mason
July 12th, 2010
12:21 pm
UGA has its problems just like all the other instituions. The NCAA is going downhill everyday as far as morals and values. It is time to put all athletes back in dorms and tighten the reins. Many would still get in trouble and that is when I would send their butt packing. These kids have run wild their whole life and it is not going to change just because they go off to college. We are stupid if we think it is. Heck most of them were in ISS, Alt. School and other programs that tried to raise them because sorry ass parents wouldn’t. You ban alcohol for all players and if they are caught they are suspended for a year or they are kicked off. TV contracts have made winning the most important thing to the NCAA because it is just that much more money. How about college baseball and the way it is discriminated on with the 11 scholarships. It is because the NCAA thinks all baseball kids can pay their way. What a joke!
Joe Fan
July 12th, 2010
12:25 pm
UGA is an educational institution not a football factory. CMR needs to emphasize that to the players, recruits and fans. He needs to recruit accordingly and point out to these kids that most will never play on Sunday and that their education is a priority. It is way past time for UGA to stand alongside the Vanderbilts and Virginias as institutions that put education first.
Half Century
July 12th, 2010
12:39 pm
“Racist Issue” now that is funny!||||||||||||||||
AltamahaDawg
July 12th, 2010
12:41 pm
BTW, a “slap on the wrist penalty from a directional U” would also have been from a national game last year. Personally I would like to see that 10% rule be enforced as 2 games in most cases. Actually of greater consequence to King than missing a cupcake is the interuption to his summer participation in drills and the how he would have normally got ready for the opener. This is really going to affect his starting status for more than one game anyway you slice it.
SOOHSO
July 12th, 2010
12:51 pm
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