UPDATE III: Georgia TB Isaiah Crowell dismissed after weapons arrest
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.
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1,565 comments Add your comment
Fly
June 29th, 2012
8:51 am
And they accuse Tech of being a ghetto school.
Dawgman
June 29th, 2012
8:51 am
Do I want him on the team? Absolutely. But he clearly hasnt cleaned his act up. Get the freshmen in here and let em run wild. Dont have to worry about Crowell BS this year now.
Richt Sets Tone
June 29th, 2012
8:51 am
People keep saying you can’t blame Richt but he sets the tone early on during recruiting. He does things like singing happy birthday to the recruit. How can you have discipline on the team when the coach plays the role of the player’s best friend during the recruiting process?
Other SEC Coaches
June 29th, 2012
8:51 am
I’ve already started recruiting him. One teams loss is another teams gain, he’s a fine young man hehe!
The Bear
June 29th, 2012
8:51 am
Sorry to hear about this
Jim Grabasski
June 29th, 2012
8:52 am
Oh, and possession of a firearm with the serial numbers altered and/or filed off is a federal offense.
wow
June 29th, 2012
8:52 am
WHAT AN IDIOT!!!!!!!! keith marshall WE NEED YOU BAD!!!
corey simon
June 29th, 2012
8:52 am
@ King Daddy
You know what you can do for all the predictions u made for this team? I will let u answer that son. What a tremendous day to be a dog fan! How about it Dog Nation
JW
June 29th, 2012
8:52 am
The warden,
He was the #1 running back in the country…every school recruited him.
acdc1996
June 29th, 2012
8:52 am
Does anyone know how severe the punishment will be if he is a first time offender? Just curious? Also, would this constitute a 2nd or 3rd violation at UGA? If so, does that mean IF he remains with the team, how long would the suspension be?
antidepressed dawg
June 29th, 2012
8:52 am
You’re watching “When keeping it real goes wrong”
Nothing Could Be Finer
June 29th, 2012
8:52 am
corey simon
June 29th, 2012
8:50 am
@ Nothing could be finer
This is just the beginning of the bottom falling out of this weak sec program. Stay tuned and keep drinking beer. You will need plenty of beer the way this season is going to turn out for the dogs.Will be very disappointing for several of the dog fans on this board
Link
Report this comment
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Not a dogs fan, Simon.
Ws laughing at the guy who said that Ga was gunning for the National Championship.
washking
June 29th, 2012
8:52 am
Unfortunately most those kids raise themselves… Im a coach and most of my players are on my FB and during school months they make post at 3-4am. No parenting.
Shug
June 29th, 2012
8:52 am
The DREAM TEAM lives! 5 Star Recruit! The next Herschel Walker!
Coming next: He’s just a kid who deserves a 2d chance.
toepro
June 29th, 2012
8:52 am
Coulda been, shoulda been, woulda been team!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
corey simon
June 29th, 2012
8:53 am
@ Wow
U need more than Keith Marshall.
flea
June 29th, 2012
8:53 am
what a complete douche !!!!!
A bitter pill for dawg fans...
June 29th, 2012
8:53 am
UGA beats Tech every year. Delicious tears.
Georgia Tech plays legitimate student-athletes who will go on to successful careers in industrial management and engineering.
Georgia plays bozos who would not have met the academic requirements to enter any college or university. The few who actually graduate will have worthless degrees and skills for which there is no demand. Most will be pathetic losers who are a burden on society. Fortunately the CEOs of Walmart and Waffle House are Tech alumni who will give some of them jobs, but even a graveyard shift fry cook has to have some skills and the ability to stay sober.
Yes, Tech fans would love to defeat Georgia more often, but not at the win-at-all-cost price that Georgia pays.
Next time you see a homeless drunk or someone working in a chain gang, be kind to him, he may be a former UGA player.
Like Isaiah Crowell, for example.
hope no more arrests
June 29th, 2012
8:53 am
well it never ends….shame on you ,,,,damn hoodlum
UGAlways
June 29th, 2012
8:53 am
If I remember correctly from my days at UGA, a possession of any weapon on school grounds is means for expulsion. This is an ATF issue now. Get real folks, it isnt a knife. If i do rememeber correctly, it was a combo of things but essentially it was a knife that got Mike Mercer booted from the bball team.
This is long overdue for Crowells exit. We got better guys that want to play!!
bgtodd01
June 29th, 2012
8:54 am
Gurley and Marshall and Malcomb…sounds like a law firm…we’ll be fine without him, but what a sad situation. I was really pulling for the guy and felt the fans rode him too hard last year. Maybe now Henry will come join them next year…..
Mark
June 29th, 2012
8:54 am
Does this mean the Dawgs are not the odds on favorite for the NC??? But Richt got his contract extension…..
Bulldog fan
June 29th, 2012
8:54 am
Now hold on everyone, he’s a good player who made a mistake. He should definitely have to run the stairs though.
dougmo2
June 29th, 2012
8:54 am
How many points does this give UGag towards the Fulmer Cup? Are they in the running for their second win in three seasons?
Fleischman in Chi Towns Bed
June 29th, 2012
8:54 am
I think UGAg will lose to Missouri.
Richt is still a good man.
Shug
June 29th, 2012
8:54 am
Come to think of it, doesn’t this mean about a 5 game suspension. He’ll return in time for the South Carolina game. Spurrier is gnashing his teeth for allowing the game to be moved.
LogicalUS
June 29th, 2012
8:54 am
How did Spurrier see into the future and know???
So can we at least dispense with the new UGA attitude in Athens and “focused” to win the Super Bowl this year nonsense? Entire starting secondary gone and now there goes the backfield..Geez.
tell me again
June 29th, 2012
8:55 am
This has nothing to do with Richt or UGA. From the minute these kids get to UGA they are buried in seminars, counselling and overwheming scrutiny. Crowell CHOSE to do this IN SPITE OF every attempt to steer him right. The amazing thing is how unbieveably UNGRATEFUL some of these kids are for the opportunity they are given ~ an opportunity that is given to them just because they can do something with a cheap piece of leather under there arm on a football field. So many smart, hard working kids bust their humps to get into a good school and work for years to repay loans to get what some of these fools get given fkr little more than a song and dance. It makes me sick. And yes. He’s got to go. It’sobvious people have been bending over backwards their whole lives to cover for this kid. He can go to LSU where being a felon is considered a plus and not a detriment.
Nothing Could Be Finer
June 29th, 2012
8:55 am
bgtodd01
June 29th, 2012
8:54 am
Gurley and Marshall and Malcomb…sounds like a law firm
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Maybe they’ll represent Crowell in a few weeks…………..
corey simon
June 29th, 2012
8:55 am
@ Nothing Could be Finer
We have something in common I am not a dog fan either but I love to come on this board and here them rant and rave about what the dogs will get accomplished this year. All of that is hogwash
Summit Dawg
June 29th, 2012
8:55 am
Richt should have sent him back to Columbus a long time ago…..Now Zach and Washaun don’t look so bad do they??????
Stewie
June 29th, 2012
8:57 am
Hmmm…will he be suspended for Buffalo or Florida Atlantic?
Go Jackets
June 29th, 2012
8:57 am
What we have here issa failure to communcate. Some men u JUST cant reach, so we get what have here this morning, which is the way he wants it. Well….he gets it….I dont like it anymore than u men do…….LOL
Dawgs1965
June 29th, 2012
8:57 am
Unbelievable.
Running back recruiting
June 29th, 2012
8:57 am
Kamara was already almost a lock, this should cinch his commit. Will probably get either Tyren Jones, Derrick Henry, or Tyshon Dye to go along with Alvin.
Attention, Walmart shoppers
June 29th, 2012
8:58 am
Kool-Aid and beer are on sale all weekend. Better stock up now.
wake up
June 29th, 2012
8:58 am
Once again, you people want to blame Richt. Maybe you do not realize how babied these kids are thru high school. They got in trouble in high school for the same stuff that they are getting into now, but high schools do very little to deal with it.
I doubt that recruiters ask to see these kids’ disciplinel records when they come for the visit.
acdc1996
June 29th, 2012
8:58 am
Will he be kicked off the team?
flo-ri-duh
June 29th, 2012
8:58 am
How else are you going to carry a gun? If it’s in your pocket it is concealed. I probably did that when I was in school. Everyone on the Tech campus needs a gun to fight off the muggers and rapists. Some places in Georgia what he did is legal but not in Athens? He’s gone…… probably end up at Tennessee or LSU.
GaDawg
June 29th, 2012
8:58 am
Richt has no choice. He proved last year he was a punk.
RedDawg
June 29th, 2012
8:58 am
What a waste some guys will never learn. Why in the heck would he need a gun?
I dropped my fried twinkie
June 29th, 2012
8:59 am
Looks like the White Puppy Bulldog(Crowell held up) should have been signed by UGa and not Crowell.
LogicalUS
June 29th, 2012
8:59 am
“Spurrier is gnashing ”
Honestly doubt Spurrier at this point is concerned too much about whatever UGA brings to Columbia in 2012, he has more and better to dispense with these unfocused louts.
He probably is looking at what he can do to get past Ark and in Baton Rouge where the SEC East will be decided.
Lakedawg
June 29th, 2012
9:00 am
This young man had 20 something scholarship offers from all the top schools in country. After troubles last year and repeated counseling and warnings, he makes the decision to be out at 3:30 in morning with some kind of wepon on him. Is that just asking to be stopped????
Great talent, but nothing between the ears. Sad day for him, but some small school or maybe LSU will pick him up, but will never make the league with the poor choices he alone chooses to make.
Chris
June 29th, 2012
9:00 am
Hmm, when Richt was recruiting Crowell, he took him to the indoor practice facility, had the offense lined up on the field, and he said, “You could be out there playing in your first game as a freshman, are you ready?” Crowell’s response, “Yes Sir!”
Richt should have taken him to the state pen and said, “Isiah, this is where you will be in year two, are you ready?????”
PerimeterCenterJacket
June 29th, 2012
9:00 am
One thing I’m kind of in awe of in the last few seasons is that every time I’ve visited Alabama their football players basically have handlers to keep them out of trouble. Someone is literally with them almost all the time. Maybe not 3:30 am, but most of the time they’re being watched like children. That’s why they’re not often arrested. I’d have thought UGA would do the same thing. They have the resources. And kids with the attitude problems of Crowell, you’d think would need the help.
Bamalama
June 29th, 2012
9:00 am
4 pages in this thread and no one has blamed Saban yet? Of course, even this kind of stuff is swept under the rug in Tuscaloosa, right?
I’ll be patiently waiting for that column where Mark Bradley retracts his preseason #1 for UGA.
GaTruth
June 29th, 2012
9:00 am
I’ve got no more excuses left. Whatever needles my friends and family who are GT, AU, Bama, UF, Tenn, Texas, Clemson, SC, or anything else fans want to dish my way, I will now humbly accept. I am sick of UGA virtually ignoring character when recruiting. It comes back to haunt us every time. Mark Richt needs to lead all recruiting conversations with this one question: “IF you are a gangsta-absorbed, punk b!tch, who is into getting high, malt liquor, or guns, tell me now because I will kick your worthless a$$ off my team at the first sign of misaligned priorities. Do you understand?”
Time to...
June 29th, 2012
9:00 am
Douche him now!!
Mark in ATL
June 29th, 2012
9:00 am
Does this ever end with the RB’s in Athens?