Georgia receiver Colbie Young suspended after arrest

Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Wednesday that wide receiver Colbie Young has been suspended indefinitely from the team following his arrest early Tuesday morning on charges of assault and battery on an unborn child.

Smart said he met Young Wednesday morning.

“He has been suspended indefinitely until this legal matter is resolved,” Smart said on the weekly SEC coaches teleconference. “We can’t really go into the details of it any further, but I had a good meeting with him this morning. We are committed to continuing to educate our players and do our best to ensure they understand the serious nature of this incidents.

“It’s a shame, but we want to be responsible in decision-making, both on and off the field. This is obviously a very difficult situation.”

Young, of Binghamton, New York, was booked into the detention center at 4:18 a.m. ET and released later Tuesday on $3,800 bail. Young is at least the eighth Georgia football player arrested in 2024, although three of those players — Trevor Etienne, Smael Mondon and Sacovie White — entered pleas or had their driving-related charges dismissed.

Young played two seasons at Miami before joining the Bulldogs in December.

According to an Athens-Clarke County Police Department incident report obtained by ESPN, a 20-year-old woman, who described herself as Young’s ex-girlfriend, told police she went to his apartment around noon ET on Tuesday to discuss their relationship.

When the conversation became heated after she discovered he was on the phone with another woman, the complainant said Young “grabbed her left arm by her biceps and triceps and physically pulled her out of his room.” The woman said Young “used derogatory terms and demeaned her.” She said Young went back to his room and locked the door.

The woman told police she started to pick up her belongings when a friend called her phone. When she responded, the woman told police, “Mr. Young came out and grabbed her from behind. She said he picked her up and started squeezing her torso and stomach very hard. She said she felt like (Young) was trying to harm her.”

The officer noted in the report that he saw bruising and discoloration on the underside of the woman’s chest where it meets the abdomen, and redness on her right side. The police officer took the woman to a hospital in Athens for treatment.

When the officer interviewed Young, he said he was escorting the woman to his front door when the conversation became contentious and denied grabbing her. When the officer asked how the woman sustained her injuries, Young said, “It wasn’t his.”

“Colbie Young was arrested last night after asking his ex-girlfriend to leave his apartment,” Kim Stephens, Young’s attorney, told ESPN on Tuesday. “He had no physical contact with her in a way that could ever be considered a crime. I expect that Mr. Young will be fully exonerated once our investigation is complete and the truth is revealed.”

The senior receiver had 11 catches for 149 yards with two touchdowns in the No. 5 Bulldogs. He had three receptions for 51 yards in Saturday’s 31-13 win against Auburn at Sanford Stadium. Georgia coach Kirby Smart did not elaborate Tuesday on the details of Young’s arrest, but said the string of run-ins with the law involving Georgia players has affected everyone involved with the program.

“If you have 130 17- to 23-year-olds, you’re going to have problems,” Smart said. “It’s not going to be perfect. I certainly recognize that we have to do better, but it’s hard. It’s hard for our staff because we’ve got really good kids. We’ve got really good people, man, and our kids go 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 guys off the field. You know, I take a lot of responsibility there It’s hard, but that’s the price of leadership.

“You are judged by the people you lead, and you have to stand up and face it, do the right thing for the kids and keep trying to find a better way.” I mean, we’re constantly trying to find a solution. better way to make a difference, and that’s in everything we do in our organization.”

Former Bulldogs receiver Rodarius “Rara” Thomas was dismissed from the team on August 1 following his arrest on multiple domestic violence charges. Smart told reporters at the time: “He can no longer be part of the football team. He understands that. We wish him the best in the future.”

Thomas, a senior from Eufaula, Alabama, was charged with cruelty to children – family violence, a second-degree felony and two misdemeanor counts of family violence. His case is pending in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court, according to court records.