
Georgia tailback Isaiah Crowell, who rushed for 850 yards as a freshman last season, was expected to start for the Bulldogs this fall. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
UPDATED: CROWELL DISMISSED FROM TEAM
ATHENS – Georgia tailback Isaiah Crowell has been dismissed from the team following his arrest early Friday morning on three weapons charges.
Georgia coach Mark Richt made the announcement in short news release sent out by UGA Sports Communications at 5 p.m. on Friday.
“We have a dedicated and committed group of men who are working hard to prepare for the coming season,” Richt said. “Our total focus will be directed toward the team and this effort.”
Crowell, a sophomore from Columbus, was booked at 3:37 a.m. on charges of possessing a concealed weapon, having a weapon in a school zone and having an altered ID mark on that weapon. His bond, originally set at $7,500, was raised to $9,500 late Friday morning. According to booking records, Crowell was released early Friday afternoon.
According to the police report, four other Georgia football players were also in Crowell’s vehicle, including three 2012 freshman signees. Those persons were outside linebacker Josh Harvey-Clemons, wide receiver Blake Tibbs and defensive back Sheldon Dawson. Also present was sophomore defensive back Quintavius Harrow. None of the four were charged.
According to Athens-Clarke police spokesperson Hilda Sorrow, Crowell was arrested at a “vehicle check-point” — or road block — on East Campus Road at Green Street at 2:20 a.m. Friday. Officer Kathryn Thornton reported smelling the odor of marijuana in Crowell’s silver four-door 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. Crowell gave consent to search the vehicle, himself and four other occupants. No marijuana was discovered but a black 9-mm Luger handgun with an altered serial number was found under the driver’s seat. Crowell was immediately arrested and taken to jail.
According to the police report, Crowell denied knowing the gun was in the car and said people drive the vehicle. He. The owner of the vehicle is listed as Crowell’s mother Debbie. The report also indicted that the five were coming from the nightclub Aftermath, where Crowell said the smell of marijuana originated.
The police report also indicated that Crowell has no criminal history.
Crowell’s mother, Debbie, was clearly distressed when reached by telephone Friday. “I don’t want to talk to a reporter right now,” she said. “”If I want to talk to anybody it’s God.”
Crowell, who came to UGA in 2011 as the No. 1-rated running back prospect in America, was slated to start for the Bulldogs at tailback this season. He rushed for 850 yards and 5 touchdowns as a freshman despite missing playing time due to suspensions and injuries. He was benched for the first quarter of the Vanderbilt game on Oct. 15 as a punishment for an undisclosed disciplinary infraction and he was suspended for the Nov. 5 New Mexico State game, reportedly for failing a drug test.
With Crowell out of the fold, Georgia will turn to redshirt sophomore Ken Malcome and senior Richard Samuel to carry the load early on, along with junior Brandon Harton. The Bulldogs also signed Keith Marshall of Raleigh, N.C. — the top running back prospect in the country, according to 247Sports.com — and four-star prospect Todd Gurley of Tarboro, N.C., to play running back. Marshall enrolled in January.
Marshall and other running backs were offering support for Crowell via Twitter.
“Pray for Isaiah & that he will learn from his mistake,” wrote Marshall from @Truthh4.
Derrick Henry, a highly-touted running back prospect from Florida who once was committed to Georgia, also weighed in via his Twitter account, @KingHenry_2: “Pray for Crowell instead [of] bashing him . . . because everyone wasn’t raised the same. . . . So everyone should just pray he sees a better way”
More information to come when it’s available.
1,565 comments Add your comment
Rastus brown
June 29th, 2012
1:47 pm
Enter your comments here
RedandBlackDAWG
June 29th, 2012
1:49 pm
I dropped my fried twinkie
June 29th, 2012
1:36 pm
I am assuming that you have proof to make such a statement or perhaps have resorted to that in a similar situation.
As for the gun charge, I am left to wonder where he got the gun from in the first place, if indeed it is his and not his mothers or boyfriends. Let’s wait until we know all of the facts before condemning the kid. If he is guilty, then lower the hammer on him. He can go play for LSU, but he needs some counseling first to deal with his mental conditions.
It is not CMR’s fault by any means. As Ron White would say, and daily, many of the folks commenting on the AJC blogs prove, “You Can’t Fix Stupid”.
Rastus brown
June 29th, 2012
1:49 pm
Him never been in no trouble, he jest b from carver school.
Sharkman
June 29th, 2012
1:50 pm
This is the last straw! We got plenty of good backs, and maybe we can get that guy from Florida who changed his mind. Stick a fork in him, he’s done!!!
snoop dawgy dawg
June 29th, 2012
1:50 pm
These tech fans need to STFU i agree he should be kicked off the team and out of school but he does not represent the entire team
Wutehvah
June 29th, 2012
1:51 pm
LOL!! These stories never get old
Stand your ground
June 29th, 2012
1:52 pm
Perhaps they were on their way to the TECH campus, where that kind of protection is needed!
TampaGator
June 29th, 2012
1:52 pm
Florida has its own bad news this morning…….three of its top recruits have yet to qualify and did not arrive on campus with the other recruits:
Donte Fowler – 5 star DE
Jonathan Bullard – 5 star DE
Dante Phillips – 4 star DT
Not good for the Gators DL depth if these three do not eventually arrive on campus. I think Fowler and Bullard will make it in. But not sure about Phillips…does not look good for him.
Why….if you are this good…..do you not get your academics right long before now. Maybe they should have cancelled a few recruiting trips and studied at home more. It is only your future…….
.
UGA NOOOOT!
June 29th, 2012
1:53 pm
UGA finds itself scratching its head and yet again another black flea lands in the can. Why not buy yourself some flea guard by way of a new head coach. Someone that is a tough mentor and disciplines his players (ala Nick Saban) and not not soft like the Cuddles bear soft you have in Marky Richt. UGA FOOTBALL = Fizzle
Cali
June 29th, 2012
1:53 pm
Wait, I thought yall good old conservative folks loved the 2nd amendment
TampaGator
June 29th, 2012
1:55 pm
BG…..
It is the role of the AJC to report both good and bad news………otherwise……the AJC would be the the Public Relations Fishwrapper for the University of Georgia. But this is America. You don’t have to read the AJC. It is called freedom.
old qb
June 29th, 2012
1:55 pm
He must have read “How I fooled the coaches and cops” by Odell Thurmon. Extremely good riddance. The Dawgs are far better off without him.
the truth
June 29th, 2012
1:55 pm
So how many players have to be arrested, kicked off the team before they start to represent the entire team. Seems to me UGA leads the SEC in idiots. Not saying other schools do not have them, but UGA leads the way! Better to be No.1 at something than nothing.
what a dumb dog
June 29th, 2012
1:55 pm
Another dumb dog bites the dust. Well, there goes that depth ya’ll been talking so much about. And BG, the AJC does nothing but kiss UGA’s butt all the time. If they didn’t report on this they would be out of business.
TampaGator
June 29th, 2012
1:56 pm
Mark Richt is probably asking Jesus right now…….”What did I do to deserve this?”
Hugh Nadds
June 29th, 2012
1:56 pm
Red and Black Dawg…as evidenced by your comments, you’re right. It doesn’t matter whose gun it is, he is carrying a concealed weapon, which has serial marking that happen to be tampered with…hmm, wonder why somebody would alter a serial number on a gun. At what point is CMR going to take responsibility for whom he recruits? Four and Five star athletes don’t help a team when they are sitting in the Clarke County jail.
Taco
June 29th, 2012
1:56 pm
UGA fools Mark Richt is the cancer. One of these animals is going to truly do something horrible soon.
Atlanta Buzz
June 29th, 2012
1:57 pm
You all are missing the point… he was unlicensed, no concealed carry permit, and he altered the serial number which usually means it’s stolen or was used in a crime. That’s what he did wrong, on top of corrupting three kids who JUST signed with UGA four months ago. What complete and total losers, all five.
the truth
June 29th, 2012
1:57 pm
“If he is guilty, then lower the hammer on him. He can go play for LSU, ” I really do not think he would make the scout team at LSU. I guess you forgot getting run over by 4 different running backs in the SEC championship game.
Bill Michelle
June 29th, 2012
1:58 pm
Go dawgs! Georgia will always be the best school in the SEC
Bryan g
June 29th, 2012
1:58 pm
High profile defense attorney Steve sadow has public ally offered to represent isiah for free!
Atlanta Buzz
June 29th, 2012
2:00 pm
I want to add that as a Tech fan, I’m not going to bash UGA on this one. This kid is a cancer not just to UGA, but to college football. How dumb do you have to be to throw away such an amazing and unique chance? You’re going to a (*deep breath*) well-respected school playing for a well-respected football team, STARTING next year, which gives you the chance to go on to the NFL and make MILLIONS.
What an idiot. Absolute, complete idiot. I won’t say “to Hell with Georgia” today, I’ll say to Hell with losers like this who give programs a bad name, regardless of which program that is.
ColumbDawg
June 29th, 2012
2:00 pm
Cali I love the second amendment. I took a safety course, gun class and got my carry permit the right way. I also bought all my guns legally and don’t alter serial numbers etc… This is actually an argument that the 2nd amendment is a good thing.
It is legal to drink alcohol but when you get behind the wheel and drive drunk, you break that law too. Saying guns should be outlawed because a criminal illegally buys one and doesn’t have the legal papers to carry it, is like saying we should ban alcohol because people drink and drive illegally!
Brainiac(CMR/UGA fan for life)
June 29th, 2012
2:00 pm
@ Tee Off:
Don’t be a COMPLETE ignorant contributor!!!!!!!!!!!
Dozens of other teams recruited him and you know some of them. This is bad enough without adding STUPID comments!!!!!!!!!!!!
snoop dawgy dawg
June 29th, 2012
2:01 pm
i am a die hard dawg fan but Isiah might need to call the cochran firm
LawDawg
June 29th, 2012
2:01 pm
I feel fully able to comment anonymously on this blog to bash athletes because:
1) I am smarter than everyone. My mommy told me so.
2) My opinion is super, duper important and everyone should have the opportunity to read it.
3) I have never made a mistake in my life; and
4) I feel better when I get all self-righteous and the basement seems a little brighter and happier.
Signed,
Half the comments on this blog
Big Crimson 75
June 29th, 2012
2:01 pm
Twink — I’ve told you dude, it’s an Atlanta Braves Sunday Red cup!!!! — hahahaha
Where is king for all this fun?? — @ the Dew Drop getting stoned to drown in the sorrow!!
Bitter — John Henry, your trailer park slum-lord, doesn’t count as a “source”!!
Leave young Black men alone.
June 29th, 2012
2:01 pm
This is a classic case of racial profiling. I’m so sure that the officer smelled a marijuana odor coming from the car. That’s the oldest trick in the Athens/Clarke police handbook. Keep your head up Crowell.
RonMur
June 29th, 2012
2:01 pm
Read some of these, not all…… I hate it for IC, but I’ll resort to my normal logic. Kids now days don’t appreciate what a scholarship represents. IC might’ve been good at some point, but his freshman year gives no ground for deviation. Send him packing. I’m sure CMR has made the point clear to these kids. At some point, they have to see what will happen and should learn from other’s mistakes. If they don’t learn, they’re not developing into the young men they should be. IC has seen enough results (King and Ealey to name a few) that he should’ve known better. Bad judgement, take the consequences. CMR should have him in his office as soon as he bails out. IC’s next move should be to pack his belongings and move back home. Grow up on someone else’s dime.
I’d rather have a so-so year with dedicated, loyal, motivated athletes than to excel with kids that have been given too many chances to straighten out. A zero-tolerance policy is what should be expected and enforced to be given the chance to play for UGA on scholarship.
As for the ones that say this is CMR’s fault. He can do his best to instill moral values and lead these kids the best he can. But, he’s not a babysitter. These kids are not toddlers. They are old enough to know right from wrong. And they have a job, an obligation, to perform at UGA. It’s their fault if they fail. Not CMR’s. The player should pay the price, not the coach.
Love my DAWGS!!
David Byrne
June 29th, 2012
2:02 pm
You may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile, You may ask yourself “How did I get here?” Same as it ever was, Same as it ever was…….
I dropped my fried twinkie
June 29th, 2012
2:03 pm
RedandBlackDAWG
June 29th, 2012
1:49 pm
I dropped my fried twinkie
June 29th, 2012
1:36 pm
I am assuming that you have proof to make such a statement or perhaps have resorted to that in a similar situation.
____________________________________________________
DirtyD…………………One of the Dawg players ATE Pot Brownies so you don’t think one of these players could have Swallowed the last of the POT.
_________________-
I don’t need PROOF. I didn’t state a FACT………..Learn to READ. I made a supposition(Big Difference) that a Player COULD HAVE SWALLOWED the LAST OF THE POT……….
You are Right …………. “You Can’t Fix Stupid”…………..but that also applies to RICHT. He hasn’t learned a DMN thin in 11 years at The Drunk Fake Blonde White Girls College & Plantation of Georgia.
Stupid
June 29th, 2012
2:03 pm
EveRy college football teams has its fair Share of knuckleheads. Let’s not go down that road. Lets not go down why is he out that let in college in the summer, can not blame him for that. Imagine a college kid not smelling of alcohol or drugs that time of night. Biggest mistake was the gun. Doesn’t need a gun. Stupid, stupid.
Chuck Norris
June 29th, 2012
2:03 pm
The concealed weapons law can be interpreted differently from officer to officer.This is exactly why I don’t put my hands in my pockets.
Hang in there UGA fans. It could be a lot worse….what if Melvin Ingram had another year of eligibility??? This Crowell thing isn’t so bad after all….is it?
RonMur
June 29th, 2012
2:03 pm
@Atlanta Buzz….. With you 100%
Yellow Jacket Stings Crowell
June 29th, 2012
2:03 pm
P(A=Ai/b)=P(b/A=Ai)P(A=ai)/(Pb/A=ai)P(A=aj) = UGA FOOTBALL BLOOOOOWS
Funyums Munchies
June 29th, 2012
2:04 pm
Isiah needs to call that lawyer on the Regular Guys show. He seems to be able to bs his way in the court room. One Call That’s ALL.
LawDawg
June 29th, 2012
2:04 pm
The truth: Hmmm, so he was the #1 recruit in the nation, which means LSU would not have wanted him. You are an idiot.
LawDawg
June 29th, 2012
2:06 pm
Yellow Jacket: If UGA football blows, GT football makes crush videos (I am open to other analogies).
The Truth
June 29th, 2012
2:06 pm
GA Tech Lies & Cheats & Everyone knows it. Everyone! Why would any good player want to play at an outlaw school like GA Tech?
what a dumb dog
June 29th, 2012
2:06 pm
Leave young back men alone. Yes, we really should let 18 year old kids out at 3 in the morning drive around high with guns. What were the police thinking? Dont you have an Obama rally to be at or something?
The hell wit UGa
June 29th, 2012
2:06 pm
Attention recruits before u commit to uga read this blog and see how their fans are a bunch of turncoats,and undercover racists .
My little pee pee
June 29th, 2012
2:06 pm
Another dumb ass still with the hood mentality!
Paddy
June 29th, 2012
2:06 pm
hashbrownsdawg……why would you want to make it tough for honest people to own a gun? No I am not a NRA member now but my application is in the mail! It is not about the law abbiding folks. It is about the bad guys having guns and commiting crimes. Focus on that and stop pointing at the good people that live around you.
Big Crimson 75
June 29th, 2012
2:07 pm
Yes!!! How dare the Police Dept profile young black males committing 2 Felony’s.
It’s racism!! They should be allowed to smoke Kush, drink 40s then get behind the wheel with WMD’s in the trunk!!
john
June 29th, 2012
2:07 pm
Maybe he could get a “S
purrier Suspension.” That way he can be suspended up to 6 times like Garcia and never miss a game.
LawDawg
June 29th, 2012
2:08 pm
“The Drunk Fake Blonde White Girls College & Plantation”
I’m SORRY is that SUPPOSED to BE A bad thing?
– Written in the style of the developmentally challenged person who made the quoted comment.
woohooitsme
June 29th, 2012
2:08 pm
what happened to innocent UNTIL proven guilty? You guys are real classy.
the old coach
June 29th, 2012
2:08 pm
Don’t keep these kids on campus during the summer. Do what they use to do and send them home for Mom Dad if they have on or grandmom or Auntie to nurse them. Let them get a job in the hot humid days of june, july and august until they have to report for physicals in August. Would have been better off if he had been in Columbus working in the heat than riding around in that Mercury with spinners at 2:30 in the morning. I worked at a saw mill when I was home from college in the summer and playing college football.
I dropped my fried twinkie
June 29th, 2012
2:10 pm
Bi Cri 75…………….I fear KingDaddy is Grudge F. a Street girl. Me wouldn’t takeout his ANGER on Mustang Sally. He is probably hooked up with the Girl that Camps out at the end of the Bar at The Dew Drop inn. LOL
LawDawg
June 29th, 2012
2:10 pm
The hell wit UGa – Yes, I am sure every other fanbase in college football has entirely sensitive, humble, reasonable, and level-headed things to say on their blogs. Also, obviously only UGA fans comment on this blog.