Georgia wide receiver Rodarius "Rara" Thomas has been suspended indefinitely after being arrested on charges of cruelty to children and battery, adding to a string of legal issues involving the Bulldogs football team.
Georgia football wide receiver Rodarius "Rara" Thomas has been suspended indefinitely after being arrested early Friday morning on charges of cruelty to children and battery.
Thomas was booked into jail around 3:20 a.m. Friday, according to Athens-Clarke County jail records. He is being held without bail.
Bulldogs' Rara Thomas Suspended After Latest Arrest
The arrest marks the latest in a string of legal issues involving members of the powerhouse college football team over the past several months.
This week's arrest is Thomas' second in the past 18 months. University of Georgia Police arrested the wide receiver in January 2023 on a felony charge of false imprisonment and a misdemeanor count of family violence battery.
Bulldogs' Rara Thomas Suspended After Latest Arrest
Those charges were later dropped when Thomas entered a pretrial diversion program.
Details about Friday's arrest were not immediately available.
Bulldogs' Rara Thomas Suspended After Latest Arrest
Georgia Athletic Association spokesperson Steven Drummond said the situation involving Thomas "is a pending legal matter. We will have no further comment at this point."
Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart spoke at Southeastern Conference media days July 16 about attempts to address repeated driving offenses by his players.
Smart said players have been suspended and fined through the collective that provides name, image and likeness (NIL) payments to the school's athletes. Smart's policy is to not make public announcements when players are suspended.
"I don’t necessarily think it’s right to go down to the town square and publicly shame kids," Smart said at SEC media days earlier this month. "When that happens, they go through a lot. And there’s a lot of remorse from these young men who’ve made mistakes. But our job is to educate. Continue to grow these young men."
A team official confirmed the suspension of Thomas.
The Bulldogs open the season in Atlanta Aug. 31 in a matchup with the Clemson Tigers.
Georgia players have been involved in 24 driving-related violations (DUI, reckless driving or speeding), The Atlanta-Journal Constitution has reported, including a crash that killed a player and a recruiting staffer in January 2023.
Georgia offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy were killed in a car crash on Jan. 15, 2023, just days after the Bulldogs won the national title game.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
