Georgia coach Kirby Smart has placed wide receiver Colbie Young on indefinite suspension as of Wednesday, just one day after Young was arrested following an incident with a woman.
Young was taken into custody on Tuesday with two battery charges and one charge related to assault on an unborn child after the altercation with a 20-year-old woman, who identified herself to Athens-Clarke County Police as Young’s ex-girlfriend.
“I got to speak to him this morning, you know, and he’s been suspended indefinitely until this legal matter is resolved,” Smart said during the weekly Southeastern Conference coaches call.
“We can’t really comment any further on the specifics of it,” he added, “but I had a good meeting with him this morning, and we’re committed to continuing to educate our players and do the best job we can of making sure they understand the serious nature of these incidents. And it’s very unfortunate.”
Smart emphasized that he wants players “to be responsible in decision-making on and off the field. And you know, this is obviously a really tough situation.”
Young was released from the Athens-Clarke County jail on a $3,800 bond on Tuesday afternoon. He is not expected to play when No. 5 Georgia faces Mississippi State on Saturday as he deals with the misdemeanor charges.
According to a police report obtained by The Associated Press, the woman told officers she went to Young’s apartment “to speak about their relationship.” She claimed the conversation became heated “after she found out he was on the phone with another woman.”
The woman stated that Young “physically pulled her out of his room” and also “grabbed her from behind” and “picked her up and began to squeeze her torso and abdomen very hard.”
The woman told police she believed Young “was trying to harm her.” The officer who arrested Young noted that he denied causing any bruise, discoloration, or redness on the woman and also denied grabbing her.
Young’s attorney, Kim Stephens, stated to the AP that Young “asked his ex-girlfriend to leave his apartment. He did not make any 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 revealed.”
Young, a senior from Binghamton, New York, transferred to Georgia after spending two seasons at Miami. In five games, he has 11 receptions for 149 yards and two touchdowns, including two starts. He had three catches for a team-leading 51 yards in last week’s 31-13 victory over Auburn.
Before the season, Smart dismissed wide receiver Rara Thomas from the team after Thomas was charged with cruelty to children and battery. This was Thomas’s second arrest in two years, as he transferred from Mississippi State.
On September 12, cornerback Daniel Harris was arrested for reckless driving after police said he was driving 106 mph. Harris is one of at least two dozen Georgia players involved in driving-related violations such as DUI, reckless driving, or speeding.
