Georgia’s arrests part of culture problem? Check the score against Clemson

No excusing Georgia football’s offseason arrests, but the culture of Kirby Smart’s program remains one of winning.
Georgia improved to 47-2 in its last 49 games after thumping Clemson. Yeah, culture is fine.
Trevor Etienne didn’t play for Georgia against Clemson after offseason driving arrest.

ATLANTA – Reports of Georgia’s supposed culture problem were greatly exaggerated or pure fiction. Nothing but hot air, all that huff and puff about Georgia’s string of offseason arrests pointing to a program in disarray.

How to sum up Georgia’s culture? In a word: Winning.

Same as it’s been.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart opts for a different word to describe the health of his program’s culture.

“Awesome,” Smart said of Georgia’s culture, after his No. 1-ranked Bulldogs wrecked No. 14 Clemson 34-3 on Saturday.

Awesome second-half performance, too, inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Speaking of fast cars, Georgia’s multi-year stretch of reckless and high-speed driving incidents are a serious matter. There’s nothing smart or safe about hopping behind the wheel of a road racer and driving like a fool.

But, what’s a Dodge Charger’s speedometer got to do with third-down execution?

I’ll sum it up like this: Arrests, bad. Georgia football, good. Very good.

The testosterone-fueled guy I’d want stopping an opponent in the red zone isn’t necessarily the same guy I’d desire behind the wheel of my postgame Uber.

The Bulldogs speed their way through the offseason, they navigate arrests, and then they perform as a united front and hammer opponents.

Georgia improved to 47-2 in its last 49 games.

Culture’s fine, folks.

Smart’s chief responsibility is winning, but he can succeed while disciplining stupidity. That’s the beauty of building a roster full of blue-chippers.

Georgia, this offseason, dismissed wide receiver Rara Thomas after police arrested Thomas on multiple counts of family battery and a felony count of child cruelty.

Running back Trevor Etienne didn’t play Saturday after his summer arrest on suspicion of driving intoxicated. That DUI charge got dismissed when Etienne pleaded no contest to reckless driving and underage possession of alcohol.

Georgia’s discipline of Thomas and Etienne needed to happen. Young adults must learn actions have consequences. The worst of all came in 2023, when Georgia player Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy were killed in a high-speed crash. LeCroy was driving intoxicated.

Several of Etienne’s teammates also were arrested for driving incidents this offseason. With Etienne reduced to spectator status, Georgia still outmanned Clemson at every position.

Georgia’s performance suggested a program in bloom, not a program in turmoil.

There are those who’d like to believe a fairytale that model citizens make the best players. Reality is more complex for a sport with rosters numbering more than 100 athletes. Some star players would be worthy nominees for a citizenship award. Others make dumb decisions off the field. And some players are great fellas but couldn’t stop a blitzing linebacker with a club.

Georgia recruits studs who relish winning and buy into their coach’s message. That never changed.

“I wish you could talk to our players,” Smart said. “I wish you could live in there and see all our guys day to day. … What you know on the inside is a lot more than what people can paint pictures to be outside.”

I did talk to Georgia’s players. Unsurprisingly, they took up for the program’s culture.

“Our culture is very based on brotherhood and connection. There’s a lot of that,” junior wide receiver Dillon Bell said. “I don’t know why people would question our culture. Our culture is really good. We’re all connected.”

The Bulldogs take their cues from Smart, a motivational maestro and a pied piper. Smart could persuade his disciples to believe water is not, in fact, wet.

These Bulldogs remain cohesive, and critical offseason headlines will fade into in-season back-claps for a program that wields frontrunner status.

“There’s going to be people who say stuff, this and that,” sophomore linebacker CJ Allen, “but that just brings us closer together.”

I wouldn’t want to share the road in Athens with Georgia athletes who throw caution into the wind.

I also wouldn’t want to be the opponent facing a loaded Georgia program armed with a winning culture that survives the turmoil.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s SEC Columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

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