Just one month ago, Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs found themselves in hot water when their “lack of accountability” culture stole the limelight. This came up after the arrest of Rodarius RaRa Thomas for DUI, for which Georgia indefinitely suspended him. But again, transfer RB Trevor Etienne’s past reckless behavior is giving Smart another headache. 

According to ESPN report, Trevor Etienne missed Georgia’s season opener due to his arrest on DUI earlier this spring. 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz first broke the news but Kirby Smart remained silent on the consequence of Etienne’s action. He had said, “We don’t talk about the suspensions… I don’t really talk about all the other stuff, with regards to suspensions, for any of our players.” Still, Etienne is listed in suspension which propelled Smart to clear the narrative.

On September 4, DawgNation posted a YouTube video of Kirby Smart during a conference speech where he shut down ESPN’s injury report on the Bulldogs as assumptions. He said, “I didn’t tell ESPN anything. I don’t talk to ESPN. So don’t put words in my mouth. I didn’t say that… They’re immediately going to assume that they’re suspended because it could be an assumption that it is wrong.”

According to what ESPN said of RB Trevor Etienne, he was suspended for the first game against Clemson because of a violation of University policy. He was fined $852 with 12 months of probation. As per reports, Etienne was listed in suspension in the injury report but Smart denied these claims to the relief of fans. Still, Kirby Smart has to find a way to keep players on the field following the number of players succumbing to injuries. 

The takeaway in Kirby Smart’s Week 1 victory 

Georgia played like the powerhouse they are in their season opener against Clemson racking a 34-3 record. Still, they have injuries to address to before the can feel optimistic about their next game. Georgia had a lot of key players missing the first game including Etienne, Jordan Hall, and Xzavier McLeod. 

Furthermore, Warren Brinson, Dillon Bell, and Mykel Williams exited the game with injuries. Will they be able to get back in time for Georgia’s next game against Tennessee Tech on September 7? Kirby Smart and his Bulldogs are tasked with one of the toughest schedules this season so it’s imperative that they’re able to maintain the health of their players to avoid an upset later in the season.