Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Colbie Young has been suspended from the team following his arrest on assault charges.
According to ESPN, Young was taken into police custody on Tuesday on misdemeanor charges of battery and assault of an unborn child.
Coach Kirby Smart told the press that he met and spoke with Young on Wednesday.
What Kirby Smart says about Colbie Young’s suspension
“He’s been suspended indefinitely until this legal matter is resolved,” Smart said during a weekly Southeastern Conference coaches teleconference. “We can’t really comment any further on the specifics of it, but I had a good meeting with him this morning. We’re committed to continuing to educate our players and do the best job we can of making sure they understand the serious nature of these incidents.”
He added, “It’s very unfortunate, but we want to be responsible in decision-making on and off the field. This is obviously a really tough situation.”
The New York native was released on Tuesday on a $3,800 bond, and he’s the eighth Georgia football player arrested in 2024, per ESPN. However, three, Trevor Etienne, Smael Mondon and Sacovie White, pleaded down or had their charges dismissed.
What the police report says
According to an Athens-Clarke County Police incident report acquired by ESPN, a 20-year-old woman described as Young’s ex-girlfriend said she went to his apartment around midnight on Tuesday to discuss their relationship. The discussion became contentious after she found him on the phone with another woman. That’s when the player’s former girlfriend said Young “grabbed her left arm near her biceps and triceps and physically pulled her out of his room.” She said he was “using derogatory terms and being demeaning of her” while doing so. Young went back to his room and locked the door.
The woman said she started to get her things when she received a phone call from a friend called. When she answered, Young’s ex-girlfriend said, “Mr. Young came out and grabbed her from behind. She said that he picked her up and began to squeeze her torso and abdomen very hard. She said she felt like [Young] was trying to harm her.”
An officer on the scene noted in the report that he saw a bruise and discoloration on the bottom of the complainant’s chest, as well as redness on her right side. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
During an interview with the officer, Young said he escorted his ex-girlfriend to the front door when the conversation turned heated. He denied grabbing her and said her visible injuries weren’t by his doing.
“Colbie Young was arrested last night after he asked his ex-girlfriend to leave his apartment,” Young’s attorney, Kim Stephens, told ESPN on Tuesday. “He did not make physical contact with her in any way that could ever be considered a crime. I expect Mr. Young to be fully exonerated once our investigation is complete and the truth revealed.”
The impacts of arrests on college football teams
When talking to reporters on Tuesday, Smart didn’t share details of Young’s legal issues but addressed Georgia players’ arrests and their effects on the team.
“When you have 130 17- to 23-year-olds, you’re going to have issues,” he said. “It’s not going to be perfect. I certainly recognize we’ve got to do a better job, but it’s hard. It’s hard on our staff because we’ve got really good kids. We’ve got really good people, man, and our kids go out there, and they have one of the best practices we’ve had all year on a Tuesday. They’re out there competing, working. You just want them to make better decisions as men off the field. And, you know, I take a lot of responsibility for that. It’s tough, but that’s the cost of leadership.”
He added, “You’re going to be judged by the people you lead and you’ve got to stand up and face it and do right by the kids and keep trying to find a better way. I mean, we’re constantly trying to find a better way to make a difference, and that’s in everything we do in our organization.”
