Georgia players arrested and jailed for firing gun

Two freshmen Georgia players have been arrested and jailed for firing a BB gun on school property, according to a report by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Defensive tackle Julian Rochester and Chad Clay were arrested and jailed for having the gun on school property, and second degree damage. They were still in jail at the time of writing, the AJC said, as there is no bond for possessing a weapon – albeit a BB gun.

Kirby Smart, Georgia’s new head coach, said in a statement: “I’m disappointed with the poor judgment of Julian and Chad. We expect full compliance with the policies of the University and of our football program from all our student-athletes. Information is still being gathered but they will be disciplined in an appropriate manner.”

The charges came after there was an incident in a dorm room – which is where there was second degree damage, the Washington Post reported, noting that Atlanta TV station Fox 5 came with the news first. The TV station also tweeted that the charges could be reduced to misdemeanours.

He also told a radio show that Clay and Rochester’s idiotic moves were “poor decisions”, although did not expand as to whether they would be booted from the team.

Rochester was a four-star recruit (according to 24-7Sports) from Powder Springs, GA, and was considered the 10th-best DT in the country. He was expected to start. Cornerback Clay was a three-star recruit and considered the 31st-best player in Georgia.

The arrests come just days before Georgia’s Spring Game, which the school hopes attract over 90,000 people. By the looks of it, it won’t attract Rochester and Clay, who may well be learning the old Mark Richt saying about consequences and actions.