Another UGA tailback out; Carlton Thomas suspended at least one game
Georgia tailback Carlton Thomas, the Bulldogs leading returning rusher from last season, will miss the Boise State game due to suspension for a team rules violation. (AJC photo by Bob Andres/bandres@ajc.com)
Athens — There’s another reason Georgia felt the need to move Richard Samuel to tailback. Carlton Thomas is suspended for at least the first game of the season.
The rising junior from Frostproof, Fla., violated team rules back in the spring, three persons familiar with the situation confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. As per Georgia Athletic Association student-athlete policy, Thomas has to sit out 10 percent of scheduled games this season.
The Bulldogs play 12 games this season, including the season opener against Top-10-ranked Boise State in the Georgia Dome. Most recently that has resulted in one-game suspensions, though Georgia Athletic Director Greg McGarity declined to specify.
“If we have any announcements regarding suspensions, they’ll be made at the appropriate time,” said McGarity, declining further comment.
Had Georgia not moved Samuel from linebacker to running back, it would have had only redshirt freshman Ken Malcome and true freshman Isaiah Crowell on scholarship at tailback. Neither, of course, has played in a college game.
Washaun Ealey and Caleb King, Georgia’s top two rushers each of the last two seasons, each have left the program since the end of spring practice.
Thomas (5-foot-7, 175 pounds) has played in 17 games the last two seasons, including one start last season against Colorado. He is the Bulldogs’ leading returning rusher from last season with 272 yards and two touchdowns.
Indications are Thomas’ infraction occurred before Georgia’s announcement this summer that King would be ineligible this season. Interviewed this past Friday, Thomas talked about serving as a leader as the most experienced member of Georgia’s backfield.
“I pretty much take it as I’m the back with the most experience, the most game-time experience, the most knowledge at the position,” Thomas said. “So I take it as a challenge to lead the group. That’s what I try to do every day. I try to be positive, I try to be motivated and try to give them somebody whose going to push them as much as they push me. We’re trying to get the best out of every guy.”
Thomas’s suspension continues an alarming rate of attrition for the running backs under the watch of position coach Bryan McClendon. Ealey was indefinitely suspended and eventually granted an unconditional release due to mutual discontent and King was unable to meet the NCAA’s satisfactory progress rule for fifth-year seniors. Now Thomas has run afoul of team policy.
No specific reason was given for Thomas’ suspension. A 10 percent-competition suspension can be applied for missing excessive academic appointments, arrests or flunking a drug tests. No record of arrests could be found.
Last Thursday, Georgia moved Samuel linebacker back to tailback, where he played his first two seasons. Samuel started six games as a sophomore before falling behind Ealey and King on the depth chart. He moved to linebacker and redshirted last season after a minor knee injury.
|– Chip Towers
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423 comments Add your comment
Runnin With The Dawgs
July 18th, 2011
7:38 pm
We’re lucky to have an athlete like Samuel who is able to step in . “GO DAWGS”!
WONDERING
July 18th, 2011
8:05 pm
Forget Football for a minute. Could we get the NCAA to investigate Obama and congress. It is obvious they lie, cheat and take kick backs and are not cooperative. Just wondering.
Another hit for Georgia’s backfield | Idaho News
July 18th, 2011
8:05 pm
[...] is junior Carlton Thomas, who according to a report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will be suspended for at least the first game of the season against Boise [...]
superDawg
July 18th, 2011
8:08 pm
all you nreds should run and hide.UGA is on the right path and your opinion means nothing,you cheating liars!UGA is on the right path thank GOD and Coach Mark RICHT.
superDawg
July 18th, 2011
8:13 pm
Richard Samuel will have a stellar evening.
Mobile Dawg
July 18th, 2011
8:24 pm
Good posts Beef, most of those doing the talking have no idea what they’re talking about. Those stats give us some hope that maybe Crowell can live up to the Number One Ranked RB in the nation. I agree with your post on talent, we’re stacked. My concern lies with the people making decisions on how to use that talent.
Jordan
July 18th, 2011
8:33 pm
http://isportsweb.com/2011/07/18/carlton-thomas-suspended/
Beef
July 18th, 2011
9:12 pm
Logical, you’re nobody to be using words like “not likely”. You’re not psychic and you’re clearly biased.
I showed you the stats between Lattimore vs. Crowell. 7.1 YPC vs. 11.5 YPC. 1 TD every 10 touches vs. 1 TD every 7 touches.
YPC is and always has been the most significant stat used to guage a RB. It’s completely reasonable to think that Crowell could do for UGA what Lattimore did for SC in his first year. The fact you refuse to acknowledge that and act like it’s not possible shows you’re just ignorant and spewing biased and irrational opinion and nothing else.
Nick Byers
July 18th, 2011
9:15 pm
Give me 22 of the best men with some character, heart and toughness and we’ll be alright. Follow the rules or hit the road jack, Carl, Wash, Caleb.
Runnin With The Dawgs
July 18th, 2011
9:16 pm
Crowell didn’t get the #1 running back in the nation title by just showing up for the games. We’re talking about thousands upon thousands of running backs, and he is ranked #1. I’d say that’s SOMETHING. Whether or not he can live up to that ranking in the SEC remains to be seen. I certainly hope so, but I can handle the disappointment if he can’t!
ugab
July 18th, 2011
9:46 pm
Wow! Unbelievable!
relax
July 18th, 2011
9:57 pm
by the end of the season, crowell will be the best RB in the SEC—he’s a beast, much better than lattimore. He’ll run all over boise st and usc—book it.
Hairy Perry
July 18th, 2011
10:00 pm
The usual pre-season train wreck. I have never seen anything like this before!
Jim
July 18th, 2011
10:02 pm
It’s called being a Student Athlete.
nash360
July 18th, 2011
10:03 pm
KENNO LOYAL KENNO LOYAL KENNO LOYAL we need him now Mark Richt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jim
July 18th, 2011
10:03 pm
Crowell could be another Caleb King.
Hairy Perry
July 18th, 2011
10:07 pm
I hope I’m wrong but I’m thinking 8 wins is the most this team will do and that might be pushing it.I’ll still be a bulldog supporter, but this is getting soooooooo old. We make an excuse for this kid and thiers another one next week.
Hairy Perry
July 18th, 2011
10:11 pm
I’m not trying to be so negative but this just keeps on happening with these players. I think coach Richt is doing all he can, some of these kids don’t care though. It just sems like thier is a lax attitude with these players.
Runnin With The Dawgs
July 18th, 2011
10:22 pm
Sept. 3rd is just around the corner. Boise St in the Dome. What better way to acheive national ranking! GA. — 52 Boise St. — 21 “GO Dawgs”!
Georgia down another RB against Boise State | Mountain West Conference
July 18th, 2011
10:30 pm
[...] There might not be anyone to run the ball against Boise State by the time its game against Georgia kicks off on Sept. 3. The lastest player lost for the Bulldogs is Carlton Thomas. He violated team rules back in the spring. [...]
Another hit for Georgia’s backfield | News Georgia
July 18th, 2011
10:58 pm
[...] is junior Carlton Thomas, who according to a report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will be suspended for at least the first game of the season against Boise [...]
Duard Sechler
July 18th, 2011
11:02 pm
Why cannot we do the Ohio State thing and let him play in an important first game then sit out the next puff ball game.
AP update, Coach suspended..
July 18th, 2011
11:02 pm
AP update, a Ga football Coach as yet unnamed was suspended for 2 games for not flushing a toilet. AP
You've got to be kidding me
July 18th, 2011
11:17 pm
Would the last one running the ball,….. please remember the snap count….
jose
July 18th, 2011
11:18 pm
Looks like we’ll be passing 89% of the time against Boise State
Made in Japan
July 18th, 2011
11:20 pm
Just have Murray in the pocket and move the 2nd string OL to the Running back positions and let them fly….
great1
July 18th, 2011
11:24 pm
Oh my! We need to start recruiting some RB’s with charachter issues. We need 3 RB’s out this next class charachter guys. Steal Drake from Bama We need Loyal to be that power speed Switch up to Crowell and Keith Marshall for the breakaway.
Thomas Brown
July 18th, 2011
11:51 pm
Cover-up conspiracy, not at Georgia tek, but at UGA in football. This is what this story about Carlton Thomas tells us very plainly and extremely precisely. We are holding damaging information from our teammates and from our fans.
There are those who point to some date last year as the date on which the last Bulldog was arrested. And, while that is understandable that we mark that date, there is still this steady stream of lost Bulldogs. Lost for suspensions and lost for far more than that : Gone from the team.
What difference does it make, given that we have the same 85 scholarships to dole out as every other football program, whether the game one of our Bulldogs cannot play in is due to arrest or whether it is yet another game one of our Bulldogs cannot play in due to transfer, injury, or being kicked off the team ?
I submit it makes no difference. The game will not be played by the player. Culminating in the destruction further of the morale of this football program. Morale of the players and morale of the fans. Yes, obviously, there are those with their heads buried in the sand who sit wiggle and dream up Kool-Aid to share with all that all is well in this, the best of all possible worlds. Is it ? Who indeed are the offensive linemen, who are the tailbacks, who are the fullbacks, who are the wide receivers, and who in the world are any of the secondary on this team ?
Isolated, they surmise, that guy was a cancer to the team and good riddance. After 1 then another then 10 in total in a year now, and that rings so shallow now. The effects so clear to all but they. And one must wonder are they really able to tell themselves that all is well for a team that is not just 14-12 over the last two seasons, not just 13-12 over the last 5 seasons against our own weak Division of our Conference, not just 21 Losses these last 5 years which are 2 more Losses than Jim Donnan lost in his 5 years here too. That all is well because Scout.com ranked our recruiting class # 6 for 2011 just joining the team ? This recruiting class is no different from any other Mark Richt recruiting class of the 11 classes he has already brought in here : The average is # 7 for all 11 classes averaging both Scout.com and Rivals all 11 years. How again is being # 6 in Scout.com any different whatsoever from all 11 recruiting classes ? I must have missed that.
Savior.
The devastating affect from all these players who cannot play in a game grows daily.
It is not like we have some star remaining who will save our bacon. We don’t. Aaron Murray, for all he did to be our best football player all season long last year, went 0-5 vs the 5 teams who ended up in the AP Poll Top 25. He also threw only 5 TD passes against those 5 teams. He threw 19 TD passes against the 8 teams he played who did not end up in the AP Poll Top 25, and he lost 2 of those Starts of his. He was but # 72 in the nation in making 1st Downs last season. You will have a seriously hard time convincing me that that is great. # 55 Total Offense and # 56 at 3rd Down Conversions, now he has no tailbacks, fullbacks, wide receivers, offensive linemen and no secondary.
What more can 1 man do ?
On a side note, the AJ-C from November 11, 2009 until July 14, 2011 could not uncover 1 single item of news about the Georgia institute of technology and their resultant now PROBATION for 4 years in Football, again for Georgia tek; but can determine that Carlton Thomas is SUSPENDED for Boise State ?
AJ-C, I mean really.
Mark Richt, did you purposely hide the fact that Carlton Thomas is SUSPENDED for the Boise State game from us all in some attempt to COVER-UP and make things seem so rosy ? Or, sir, do you believe that we are in such a funk with but 3 wins and 9 losses all 10 years previously with you sir against teams who ended up in the AP Poll Top 10 and 10 more losses these 10 years to teams who did not even end up in the AP Poll Top 25 and # 2 in the Fulmer Cup All-Time in your regime Mark Richt, sir, that you must treat us all like mushrooms and keep us in the Dark and Feed us …
Ramma Bama
July 19th, 2011
12:10 am
Richt needs to start recruiting higher character players. He needs to call Coach Saban on how to win big with players who don’t get in trouble.
Thomas Brown
July 19th, 2011
12:51 am
He needs to quit recruiting so many who don’t want to play here, too.
SlCDawg
July 19th, 2011
1:44 am
This is what happens when you try to change the culture of the program at the eleventh hour. It is too late. The chickens are still coming home to roost.
Judge
July 19th, 2011
5:44 am
Richt is a softy–everybody in Athens knows it—but they don’t have the guts to do anything about it————–what a bunch of babies. Grow up so you can compete with the Saban’s of the college football world. Get out of your slump and get somebody with some guts to run the football program. Richt needs to move on and go preach somewhere———lets get on with it!!!! I would not put up with these punk football players for one second———-do what you are told or get out!!!!!
Judge
July 19th, 2011
5:45 am
clean house!!!!
Thomas Brown
July 19th, 2011
5:58 am
Judge,
Sir, there have been a ton of players who have gotten out.
A ton. They have left in droves.
We have the fewest scholarhsip football players on our roster of every single Division 1-A team.
Tech Guy
July 19th, 2011
7:03 am
Now playing for tailback for the Jawga dawgs – Mike Boo Boo.
Thomas Brown
July 19th, 2011
7:56 am
Now, playing for Georgia tek, a guy who was not given 1 scholarship offer from any Division 1-A program who now speaks for Georgia tek – playing football in Spain of all places – saying that they can pry the Championship Ring 2009 from his finger or he will mail The NCAA $312 if The NCAA thinks that is what his Championship Ring is worth. As if, Georgia tek did not actually cover-up their playing of the only 2 good players you had on the 2009 team – not that it helped you against us, since one couldn’t stop the pass and the other could not catch the pass.
PROBATION – Georgia tek – back-to-back in football 4 years again. Name the 1 year of the last 9 years that Georgia tek will not have been on PROBATION in FOOTBALL ?
Jeff
July 19th, 2011
7:58 am
Here we go AGAIN…….agree with the post above- seems like we have an awful lot of rocks on this team……I had some high hopes but after this- same old same old. I have no expectations for this year……we do what we do…..
Jeff
July 19th, 2011
8:00 am
have already heard that Crowell has come in with an attitude also……..geez…..
» SEC: Trent Richardson No. 1; Georgia suspends back John Clay’s Sidelines
July 19th, 2011
8:09 am
[...] Georgia’s Carlos Thomas suspended for opener with Boise State [...]
Gary
July 19th, 2011
8:18 am
Nice job CMR. Control the program.
Common Sense
July 19th, 2011
8:21 am
At this rate, Murray will attempt 68 passes against Boise.
We will run the ball 5 times…all QB draws.
RedandBlackDAWG
July 19th, 2011
8:24 am
Mobile Dawg,
Somehow I doubt seriously if CMR is worried whether he has your support or not. True fans support their coach and team through thick and thin. You can say what you like, with your very childish comments about kool aid and rose colored glasses. If the only time you support UGA and thier coaches is when they are winning, that is called, “A fair Weather Fan”. UGA doesn’t need anymore of those.
Rooster
July 19th, 2011
8:26 am
Wait to Crowell gets suspended or arrested!!! hehehehehahahahahhohohoho. Richt is such a dumb*!%!!
RedandBlackDAWG
July 19th, 2011
8:32 am
Happy Gilmore,
For sure GSU does’t ever have problems with player discipline and getting into to trouble. Let’s see. The GSU QB was arrested yesterday for robbery. Sounds like a clean cut young man to me. Never gets in trouble and sets an outstanding example of the high caliber of player recruited at GSU.
Down on Dogs
July 19th, 2011
9:25 am
I certainly am getting tired of all these suspensions. As a young man your going to a top university, getting a scholarship to play ball and you can’t behave even a little bit? Suspensions are not enough to get the point across. Let some of these kids go, make it across the board that bad behavior just will not be tolerated, not at Georgia, not at any University. Time to send the little pansies and slackers back to momma until they can learn to behave themselves. I want Georgia to win just like every other fan of the Dawgs, but not at the cost of the integrity of our University.
Bultaco
July 19th, 2011
9:48 am
Total lack of discipline will be Richt’s legacy. Too many penalties, late hits, players taking themselves out of games etc. “Too much Bible and not enough belt !” Come on Mark !!! It’s embarassing.
Dawg Tired
July 19th, 2011
10:00 am
While I’m flattered that someone would want to steal my handle, I do point out that the comment at 3:36 on the 18th of July under my handle is not by me, but an impostor.
VADAWG
July 19th, 2011
10:11 am
RB Henry made a verbal to join the DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Georgia | MrSEC.com
July 19th, 2011
10:15 am
[...] reported yesterday that Thomas has been suspended for the first game of the season. Thomas “violated team rules back in the spring,” according to the AJC.With Thomas now out of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game with Boise State, the [...]
Mark Seminole
July 19th, 2011
10:51 am
Must be late July/early August – the Debbie Downer Dawgs are starting to howl about all the bad luck; attrition and other junk that will result in a bad season. Seems it came a bit early this year…kind of like the cicadas did.