A Georgia football defensive lineman was cited for speeding on Monday and arrested later that afternoon on a warrant for failing to appear for a previous violation.
Redshirt sophomore Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins was flagged for allegedly going 90 mph in a 70 mph zone at 9:34 a.m. on I-85 in Clark County, Ga., the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office’s told the Athens Banner-Herold.
At least a dozen Georgia football players have been charged with speeding or reckless driving since the team won the national championship in January, according to the outlet.
That included the fatal crash that killed offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy on Jan. 15.
Ingram-Dawkins was booked at 4:05 p.m. Monday afternoon at the Clark County jail for failing to appear on the violation of parking in a handicapped zone and later released less than an hour later on bond.
He’s a reserve lineman who played in 14 games last season, making 10 stops.
Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart has taken steps to stop his players from continuing these types of infractions while also stating at last week’s SEC media day how “disappointed” he was by the number of traffic violations by his players.
According to ESPN, Smart has brought in police to speak with the team, set up a system to self-report speeding tickets as well as deny “super speeders” achievement-based monetary awards.
He believes they’re doing more to prevent speeding than anyone in the country.
“I’m not going to eradicate speeding,” Smart told ESPN, “but what’s going to happen to my program is every time somebody gets a speeding ticket, it’s going to be the front-page story. If they went and combed every SEC player and researched ’em for speeding tickets, they’d find a lot more of them.
Ingram-Dawkins’ citation is among a long and growing list for Georgia.
Incoming freshman linebacker Samuel M’Pemba was cited earlier this month for allegedly going 88 miles per hour in a 55 mph zone.
Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, a senior wide receiver, was charged with reckless driving and speeding by Athens-Clarke County police in May along with receiver De’Nylon Morrissette, who was hit with a DUI charge and driving too fast for conditions.
During a January incident, linebacker Jamon Dumas Johnson was arrested for reckless driving.
While Ingram-Dawkins was also caught speeding, his arrest stems from a different incident.
He was supposed to appear in court on July 11 for a 2022 citation in regard to “parking for persons with disabilities,” according to the Athens Banner-Herold.
Ingram-Dawkins was also fined $200 for contempt.
When Smart was pressed by about how confident he felt that the message about the risks and dangers of speeding, he didn’t provide a ringing endorsement.
“I’m not confident in that. I’m not,” Smart said. “I mean they’re in cars that are faster than they’ve been. They go, they get up and go faster than they ever have. I’m confident in the education that we’re doing.”
Redshirt junior center Sedrick Van Pran addressed the issues at SEC media day, stating the players are pushing each other to be more cautious, according to ESPN.
“We’re just letting down the university and the guys that have come before us, whether that be on the team or just successful people who come through the university,” Van Pran said. “ So, it was more so understanding that you’re representing more than yourself and that it has to tighten up, it has to be fixed — like period.”
Read more
