Mark Schlabach
Closes
Mark Schlabach
Senior ESPN writer, senior college football writer, author of seven college football books, University of Georgia graduate
Chris Low
Closes
Chris Low
ESPN Senior Writer College Football Reporter Joined ESPN.com in 2007 University of Tennessee Alumnus October 9, 2024, 12:33 p.m. ET
Wide receiver Colby Young has been suspended indefinitely from the team after his arrest early Tuesday morning on misdemeanor charges of battery and assault on an unborn child, Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Wednesday.
Smart said he met with Young Wednesday morning.
“He has been suspended indefinitely until this legal matter is resolved,” Smart said at the SEC’s weekly coaches conference. “We can’t really comment further on the specifics of the matter, but I had a good meeting with him this morning. We’re committed to continuing to educate our players and doing the best job we can to make sure they understand the serious nature of these incidents.
“It’s very unfortunate, but we want to be responsible in decision making on and off the field. This is obviously a really 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 to be arrested in 2024, although three of those players — Trevor Etienne, Smile Mundon and Sacovi White — have either pleaded not guilty or had driving-related charges dismissed.
Young played two seasons in Miami before joining the Bulldogs in December.
According to an Athens-Clarke County police 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 12 a.m. 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 near the biceps and triceps and physically dragged her from his room.” The woman said Young was “using derogatory terms and insulting her.” Young went back to his room and closed the door, she said.
The woman told police she began gathering her belongings when a friend called her on her phone. When she answered, the woman told police: “Mr. Young came out and grabbed her from behind. She said he picked her up and started pressing her torso and stomach very forcefully. She said she felt it.” [Young] “He was trying to hurt her.”
The officer noted in the report that he noticed a bruise and discoloration below the woman’s chest where it meets the abdomen, and redness on her right side. The police officer transferred the woman to an Athens hospital for treatment.
When the officer interviewed Young, he said he walked the woman to his door when the conversation became contentious and he denied grabbing her. When the officer asked how the woman received her injuries, Young said, “It wasn’t from him.”
“Colby Young was arrested last night after asking his ex-girlfriend to leave his apartment,” Young’s attorney, Kim Stevens, told ESPN on Tuesday. “He made no 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 is revealed.”
The senior receiver had 11 catches for 149 yards with two touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ first five games. He had three receptions for 51 yards in Saturday’s 31-13 win over Auburn at Sanford Stadium. Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who spoke to reporters Tuesday, did not address the details of Young’s arrest, but said the series of run-ins with the law involving Georgia players has affected everyone associated with the program.
“When you have 130 people between the ages of 17 and 23, you’re going to have problems,” Smart said. “It’s not going to be perfect. I definitely realize we have to do better, but it’s tough. It’s tough on our staff because we have really good kids. We have really good guys, man, and our kids go out there, and they have one of the best practices that we’ve ever had.” It’s out there all year on Tuesday, they’re competing and they’re working, you just want them to make better decisions as guys off the field. I know I take a lot of responsibility for that, it’s tough, but that’s the cost of leadership.
“You’re going to be judged by the people you lead, and you have 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 solution.” A 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 after being arrested on multiple domestic violence charges. At the time, Smart told reporters: “He can no longer be a part of the football team. He understands that. We wish him the best moving forward.”
Thomas, a senior from Eufaula, Alabama, was charged with child cruelty and domestic violence, a second-degree felony, and two misdemeanor counts of domestic violence by battery. His case is pending in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court, according to court records.
