Richt: King’s 2-game suspension reflects tougher penalties for arrests
(Updated 4 p.m.)
ATHENS — Caleb King, Georgia’s starting tailback in both of its victories this season, won’t play in the next two games because of his arrest for failure to appear in court to address a speeding ticket.
Coach Mark Richt on Tuesday suspended King for the two games, saying he hopes the punishment teaches a lesson to the tailback and other players.
In years past, a case such as King’s might have drawn a shorter suspension, if any at all. But with King the 11th UGA football player arrested this year, Richt acknowledged the two-game ban reflects a tougher approach to punishing players for off-field incidents.
“Oh yeah, no doubt about it,” Richt said. “But they knew that.”
King won’t play in Saturday’s home game against Vanderbilt or the Oct. 23 game at Kentucky. He’ll return for the Oct. 30 game against Florida in Jacksonville.
The 11 Georgia players arrested this year, on charges ranging from battery to public intoxication, have drawn varying penalties from Richt. Four of the players were dismissed from the team. Another decided to transfer after being suspended for six games. Three others got one-game suspensions.
The latest suspension came one day after King was arrested by Athens-Clarke County Police on a bench warrant issued by a judge in nearby Walton County. The warrant was for failing to appear at an August court date regarding a June speeding ticket, which cited King for traveling 76 miles per hour in a 55-mph zone on Highway 78.
“I expect all our players to take care of their responsibilities on and off the field,” Richt said. “When players don’t do that, it damages the reputation of the player, our team and our university. My goal is for Caleb to learn a lesson and for other players to learn from his experience.”
King’s penalty was double that drawn by fellow tailback Washaun Ealey, who was suspended for one game –- the season-opening victory over Louisiana-Lafayette –- after his late-August arrest for hit-and-run of a parked vehicle and driving with a suspended license. At the time of Ealey’s arrest, there also was a bench warrant against him for failure to appear in court on speeding and vehicle registration charges.
Asked if King’s stiffer penalty reflects a tougher standard, Richt said: “Yes sir.” Asked if it reflects a need to send a message, Richt said: “Obviously.”
Although Richt emphasized that each player “has a responsibility to do the right thing,” the coach said he and athletic director Greg McGarity are having “an ongoing conversation” about ways to reduce the off-field problems. “I really have a lot of confidence that [McGarity] has some good ideas in that regard,” Richt said.
Already, Richt said, his staff is periodically checking to make sure players’ driver’s licenses are in good standing. “We’ve been doing that monthly,” he said, “but now we are going to do it weekly.”
Richt said, however, that it would be almost impossible for the staff to know when a bench warrant is issued for a player’s failure to handle a traffic ticket, as in the King case. “You basically would have to get in contact with every single county in the state of Georgia on a daily basis to find out if something like that popped up,” Richt said.
Several players said the team is well aware that off-field problems will have serious consequences.
“Enough has happened that I think the team is tired of it, the coaching staff is tired of it and the athletic director and everyone associated with the University of Georgia is [too],” quarterback Aaron Murray said. “We definitely have seen a little too much of everything that is going on. We’ve just got to be smart as a team … on and off the field.”
Said wide receiver Tavarres King: “Everybody knows at this point in time, if you get in trouble, you’re going to get a pretty good lashing.”
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842 comments Add your comment
Fran T
October 12th, 2010
12:42 pm
Sounds a little harsh to me…maybe a half of a game or 1 game max.
5150 P.O.A.D
October 12th, 2010
12:43 pm
Fulmer Cup
2010 UGA winner 20 points
2009 UGA no standing in top 45
2008 UGA 7th 15 points
2007 UGA 9th(tied) 10 points
2006 UGA 9th(tied) 4 points
2011 UGA is already on the board and climbing with 2 Points.
Keyser Soze
October 12th, 2010
12:43 pm
I mean UF just lost at home to LSU who almost lost to a terrible UT team. UF is very confident right now. Why wouldn’t they be? What do they have to be nervous about? Their offense is unbelievably good and their defense has been playing lights out. Not to mention their solid special teams.
Pluto
October 12th, 2010
12:43 pm
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. All you so called dawg fans sure do know how to conduct yourselves in a manner that would make any recruit want to come to Athens. The last time I attended a UGA game was against Arkansas and was disgusted by the behavior of some of you BIG, FAT dawg fans. Flipping birds to the visitors and acting like white trash. I was extremely humiliated. SOme of you need to grow up.
Ace
October 12th, 2010
12:44 pm
An i-pod time out would suit me as they have lost 4 with him, keep him in.
boots
October 12th, 2010
12:44 pm
Sounds about right. You cannot punish him differently from what others have gotten, especially when the offense – a speeding ticket – occured months ago. How many of us would expect to get fired for getting a ticket? Come on… Nothing to see here, move along…
Imposter's Imposter
October 12th, 2010
12:45 pm
McGarity was asked about zero tolerance, not Richt, “Asked if this reflects a new zero-tolerance approach to arrests on the football team, McGarity said: “It’s up to the coaches, but yeah, I think Mark has had enough. And he’s made it very clear to the players what is expected.”
Chick Fa Lay
October 12th, 2010
12:46 pm
I bet if it was Krispy Kreme that officer would have known how to spell it right.
Don't come to the cesspool of the south
October 12th, 2010
12:47 pm
Their own newspaper slams the innocent little kids on the football team.
“It’s never a good season when you’ve had more petitions for arrest warrants in one year than touchdowns. But for Georgia running back Caleb King, it’s just been that kind of year.”
Why would any recruit want to come to UGA?
http://www.redandblack.com/2010/10/12/accusations-piling-up-for-running-back-king-tally-of-arrests-increasing/
Tucker
October 12th, 2010
12:48 pm
Zero tolerance means CMR tolerates a lot of zeroes.
JB
October 12th, 2010
12:48 pm
With all that’s going on in this town,state, country,economy and world and the AJC Web page headline in big print is about Caleb King being suspended for two games for missing a court date for a 3 month speeding ticket, has AGENDA written all over it……We are not even ranked, or on regular TV….GIVE ME A BREAK…This is NEWS ?…….GEEZ.
4WhatIt'sWorth
October 12th, 2010
12:48 pm
Chris Rainey will be playing for Florida before Caleb King suits up again for the dawgs … I wonder if the bashers will come after Uban. I also wonder if Rainey would be practicing this week had Florida not lost to LSU.
AJC
October 12th, 2010
12:50 pm
He wasn’t arrested for the speeding ticket. He was arrested for failure to obey the court and appear.
Chris
October 12th, 2010
12:50 pm
I don’t really care that it was just a speeding ticket. If he had paid the ticket like most normal people do, then we wouldn’t have a problem. He’s being punished for not showing up to court and being arrested.
It’s pretty simple. The new rule at Georgia should be, “If you get arrested for ANY reason, you are kicked off the team.” Maybe then these fools would think before they act.
PALADIN DEATH DEALER
October 12th, 2010
12:50 pm
ugaalumn81:
Good Riddance—go find you another school—-what did you expect, the firing squad…..
Keyser Soze(authentic)
October 12th, 2010
12:50 pm
nice flat tire, steal my name to post your reply. Lame.
just askin?
October 12th, 2010
12:51 pm
So in order for uga to win the sec, the sec has to drop it’s overall level of competitiveness considerably? Sounds about right. Be careful uga, you may find yourselves competing with Vandy for the sec if things get to bad.
WTF boots - Nothing to see hear?
October 12th, 2010
12:51 pm
Boots – you are a moron – Just a speeding ticket? If it was just a speeding ticket and like any normal citizen he would have paid it, gone to court, etc… then yea no big deal.
But geesh, when you get a speeding ticket, don’t pay it, fail to appear in court, get a warrant issued for your arrest, and this is on top of your prior offenses…. it is more than just a one time slip up.
This is not a kid, but a 22 year old who is well aware of what he is doing including stealing $500 from a woman a threatening to post nude pictures of her on the internet (how did he get that?)
This cat is not a good person and should not be a dawg.
Bulldog for Life
October 12th, 2010
12:52 pm
CK lied to the officer about his suspended license, his other trouble with the law. He is not that great of a kid. Read the arresting reports. Suspend him the rest of the year at least.
PALADIN DEATH DEALER
October 12th, 2010
12:53 pm
sunny purdue:
Haven’t lost to the might Kansas Jayhawks yet…..Carry on, my wayward son!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry
October 12th, 2010
12:54 pm
Tucker – please post the link that says Richt says that there is a new zero tolerance policy. Thanks!
Ace
October 12th, 2010
12:55 pm
Vandy is not that good.
patrick
October 12th, 2010
12:55 pm
Mike
October 12th, 2010
11:50 am
Dawgs> Gators First off Kentuck has beaten Ga 2 of the past 4 years. And South Carolina has to lose 3 more genius
===================================
no SC does not have to lose 3 more genius
.
1. Fla and Kentucky/Tenn is all SC needs to lose
.
2. Then UGA needs to beat Fla
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3. Then ther will be a three way tie in the East
.
since all three will be 5-3 and each team bet the other. SC over UGA…UGA over Fla…Fla over SC there will need to be a second tier of tie breakers as H2H nullifies itself whne all three beat each other as Fla cant go because of UGA, UGA cant go because of SC, SC cant go because of Fla….get it?
.
So then the second tie breaker would be DIVISION record.
.
both Fla and UGA would be ahead of SC as SC lost to 2 eastern teams.
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leaving the deciding factor the H2H between UGA and Fla.
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UGA would go in based on that…..you clearly DONT know what yoyu are talking about so how about STFU
Chris
October 12th, 2010
12:55 pm
Pluto, I can’t speak for everyone else on here, but I have never been arrested. I know I’ve done some things where, if I had been caught, I surely would have made a trip to jail, but you’re missing the point.
The point is, as a collegiate athlete, you have to be smart enough not to put yourself in stupid situations. If I had a football scholarship in college, I surely would not have done some of the stupid things I did. College football players are under a spotlight, and what they do right or wrong will become public knowledge. These players have got to understand that.
AJC
October 12th, 2010
12:55 pm
It’s news because He’s the 11th player to be arrested. Probably not the last this year. It’s hard to stop them dawgs, as Richt is finding out.
JB
October 12th, 2010
12:55 pm
Harry,
I sure hope you’re not anybody’s employer, You can barely spell! This punishment is more than adequate. One game would have been appropriate.
Ace
October 12th, 2010
12:56 pm
KY is better than Vandy.
Ace
October 12th, 2010
12:56 pm
UT is a little better than UAB.
Give him the chair!
October 12th, 2010
12:57 pm
I personally think that he should have been senteced to death for what he did. I mean only 2 games for this terrible crime!!!!
Ace
October 12th, 2010
12:58 pm
I’m not sure UGA is at the bottom just yet, 2 or 3 more years, maybe.
BG
October 12th, 2010
12:58 pm
So, Chris Rainey at UF threatens to kill his girlfriend and gets a 3 game suspension. Caleb gets a speeding ticket and failure to show to court and he gets a 2 game suspension. Something is wrong with this picture!!!
Raiderbeater
October 12th, 2010
12:58 pm
I’m hoping all the Alum here are wiser than the average GED holding fan that says disregarding court summons and getting arrested twice is just a “kid being a kid” ……
patrick
October 12th, 2010
12:58 pm
WTF boots – Nothing to see hear?
====================================
ITS STILL JUST A TRAFFIC TICKET ISSUE…..JESUS PEOPLE.
GIVE ME A BREAK
October 12th, 2010
12:58 pm
GEORGIA runs the Athen jail.
Raiderbeater
October 12th, 2010
12:59 pm
It can get MUCH worse…..we’re not at the bottom yet…..
Carl Childers
October 12th, 2010
12:59 pm
UGA needs to start removing these players from the team. Let them go speed, get drunk and sell their jerseys all they want to!
George Stein
October 12th, 2010
12:59 pm
Caleb, call me together we can beat this.
collegeballfan
October 12th, 2010
1:00 pm
There are a lot of fans on this blog saying that King was suspended for not paying a speeding ticket.
I really hope they do understand the actual reason for the arrest and the subsequent suspension.
If not, the population of dummies is much larger than I had thought.
And I am of the opinion that after his second arrest King should have been suspended for the remainder of the season.
Raiderbeater
October 12th, 2010
1:01 pm
Hey patrick,
Tell that to Baker, he just had a little alcohol….who’s to say he isn’t innocent? About 30% of DUIs are pled down to traffic charges or dismissed……
I don’t have a problem with the kids as much as the coach sending mixed messages….we all make mistakes….but when CMR sets a precedent and then forgets about it it shows lack of control.
patrick
October 12th, 2010
1:01 pm
AJC
October 12th, 2010
12:55 pm
It’s news because He’s the 11th player to be arrested. Probably not the last this year. It’s hard to stop them dawgs, as Richt is finding out.
===========================
Dude technically each and every time you get a ticket you COULD be arrested. Officers choose to cite you as the jails would quickly fill up and its not feasible to do so. You also could recieve a year in jail. Look up the speeding laws of Georgia. 11 arrests with a majority of them being traffic related is not that bad…..at least he did not steal a dead woman credit card and use it for a year like some Fla players did….NOW THAT DISGUSTING
Dawg Tired
October 12th, 2010
1:02 pm
It’s a traffic ticket!! A Florida linrbacker tries to poke another player’s eyes out and gets suspended for a half. I think CMR has let the naysayers (like Schulz) make this call. They should suspend the Athens police force. This punishment is too severe.
As to the idiots who think zero tolerance means throwing players off the team for a speeding ticket, suffice it to say they are too stupid to understand what a real “offense” that would warrent removal from the team actually is. Trust me, college kids get traffic tickets (like the rest of us) at every school in the country and it is not counted as an “arrest”. Armed robbery is an arrest deserving thing, not a traffic ticket. Missing the court date? Well, not smart, but usually, in most towns and cities, does not actually result in being thrown in a jail cell. The Athens police department seems out of control.
Raiderbeater
October 12th, 2010
1:02 pm
Notice I didn’t say he instituted a “Zero Tolerance” policy….but he VERY much set a precedent!
Raiderbeater
October 12th, 2010
1:03 pm
Dawg Tired,
A DUI is a traffic ticket…..
patrick
October 12th, 2010
1:03 pm
Raiderbeater
October 12th, 2010
1:01 pm
Hey patrick,
Tell that to Baker, he just had a little alcohol….who’s to say he isn’t innocent? About 30% of DUIs are pled down to traffic charges or dismissed……
I don’t have a problem with the kids as much as the coach sending mixed messages….we all make mistakes….but when CMR sets a precedent and then forgets about it it shows lack of control.
======================================
A DUI is a traffic ticket….there is no pleading down a traffic ticket to a traffic ticket. They merely plead it down to a different one and never less than “wet reckless driving”. You dont know much do you.
M.Richt
October 12th, 2010
1:03 pm
Did I say two games? I meant two quarters. Can I change my mind again?
Raiderbeater
October 12th, 2010
1:04 pm
Dawg Tired,
It was Walton PD….I guess all cops are corrupt…..hmmmmm you are one of those people huh?
PALADIN DEATH DEALER
October 12th, 2010
1:04 pm
shultzie got Willie Martinez fired…Now he is after CMR….can’t get him on his record, goes backdoor to get him on speeding tickets and going the wrong way on a scooter…..tries to make it look as if there is no discipline….the ncaa did away with athletic dorms, the only way coaches could check on the whereabouts of their players and do bedchecks…now they live all over town….no way a coach can police it….athens police have it in for the dawgs….no reason all this gets out unless they want a little pub out of this….someone needs to sit down with the police department and whatever burrs are under their saddles need to be removed…..when a speeding ticket 3 months old becomes state and national news, somebody is out to make somebody look bad…think we all know who these people are…..
Chick
October 12th, 2010
1:04 pm
Another reason I am glad I didn’t renew my season tix. The beat continues and will not change as long as these issues aren’t handled. Off the field behavior and on the field performance are related. Until someone learns that things will continue where a win at Kentucky is a big deal. I love CMR but if he isn’t willing to deal with this harshly then we need someone who will.
AltamahaDawg
October 12th, 2010
1:05 pm
Wow Jim. A players is suspended for 2 games for a driving voilation, and not dismissed from the team, and you think that should lead to the firing the head coach in mid-season? Spend much time out of touch with reality much?
BTW his “prior” was going down Sanford Dr. that turns into a one way as at a certain point, that I guarantee you long time dawg fans didn’t even know that, (it didn’t use to), a kid his first 2 weeks in town certainly wouldn’t. And he was on on a scooter, which he didn’t realize required a valid DL (and actually the coaches weren’t even 100% sure of that till it happened). Stupid? yes. Underage DUI? not exactly the same thing now is it?
AMS Jacket
October 12th, 2010
1:05 pm
Am I the only one who reads the other articles? This is his SECOND arrest since arriving at UGA.
This will not help CMR in the long run…or even the short run. The message it sends is clear – if you’re a good player, different rules apply. Has UGA changed since Jan Kemp?
The contrast between Tech and UGA couldn’t be clearer…no school is perfect but some try harder than others. Or maybe the school’s priorities aren’t the football program’s?