Georgia Dismisses Sophomore Running Back After Arrest

It seems that many teams in college football these days have begun taking a much stricter approach to players who are arrested.  A prime example of this game when Georgia Bulldog's running back Isaiah Crowell was dismissed by head coach Mark Richt from the team after he was arrested.  The dismissal came on Friday after the sophomore running back was arrested for a charge on felony weapons.  While Crowell was driving Friday morning, police found a gun in his car.  It took just a few hours for Georgia to dismiss the back, and Richt made a statement that actually didn't have anything to do with Crowell at all.

His statement said the following: "We have a dedicated and commited group of men who are working hard to prepare for the coming season.  Our total focus will be directed toward the team and this effort."  Obviously Richt wanted nothing to do with the issue, and the school wasn't looking to deal with it as well, considering that they let him go almost instantly after the arrest.  The arrest came when Crowell was stopped at a vehicle checkpoint which actually occurred on the Georgia campus at 2:20am.  The charges that he could potentially end up facing will include possession of a weapon on school property and carrying a concealed weapon.

Crowell allowed the officers to seach his vehicle when he was told that they smelled marijuana in the car.  When the search happened, the police found the 9-millimeter pistol under the driver's seat.  The gun that was found had an altered serial number as well.

This is actually a big deal for the team, especially since Crowell actually led the team with 850 yards rushing as a freshman.  He was one of the highest rated players out there, and was the top rated running back prospect in 2011 coming out of Carver High School in Columbus, Georgia.  Not only did he rush for 850 yards as a freshman, but he also won the SEC Freshman of the Year award as well.

Crowell had issues throughout his freshman year though, as he and two teammates were suspended for a game because they failed a drug test.  While he had some big games rushing, he also struggled in games as well against some of the top talent out there, including when he rushed for only 15 yards on 10 carries when the team lost to LSU in the SEC Championship game.

The Georgia Bulldogs, who have high hopes to contend for the SEC Championship this season will now look to two highly rated running backs who are coming in including Keith Marshall from Raleigh, NC, and Todd Gurley from Tarboro, NC.