If you think you’re ready for college football players to once again have their days and nights taken up by practice and study, just imagine how Kirby Smart feels. It’s been a long, headache-filled summer for the head Bulldog. And it just got longer.
That’s because UGA receiver Rara Thomas was arrested early Friday morning on two counts of misdemeanor battery and one count of second-degree cruelty to children, a felony.
According to jail booking records Thomas was arrested by Athens-Clarke Police and booked into the jail at 3:20 a.m. awaiting bond.
Thomas is entering his second season at Georgia after transferring from Mississippi State, where he led the Bizarro Bulldogs in receiving in 2022. In his first season in the Classic City Thomas made an immediate impact, snagging 23 passes for 383 yards and a touchdown. The 6’2, 200 pound Eufaula, Alabama native was expected to be in the rotation outside at receiver due to his size and ability to go up and high point the ball.
Unfortunately that appears in jeopardy now, as this isn’t Thomas’s first brush with the law. In January 2023, less than a month after enrolling in Athens, Thomas was arrested for a misdemeanor count of family violence and a felony charge of false imprisonment. Each of those charges were dropped when Thomas entered a pretrial diversion program and was required complete anger management and community service. While Coach Smart has made a practice of handling most brushes with the Athens constabulary through internal channels, the handful of players who have had repeat issues have generally found themselves put on the proverbial bus out of town.
While Smart has shown some restraint with his team’s many and sundry driving related charges (because Athens), allegations of this type are likely to lead to swift action. I wouldn’t count on Thomas remaining with the team once fall camp starts.
That’s bad news for Bulldog fans, and a sad end to a promising career in the Red and Black.