Ledbetter's charges dropped

There technically is no alcohol related offense now though.

Yes, you have to remember the OJ kind of thing: just because there's no criminal conviction does not mean you escape consequences in civil or administrative proceedings. The exclusionary rule doesn't apply there.

In the end, it doesn't really help with team vs police relations having the charges dropped on police error.

The team/school needs to keep his suspension in place if for nothing else to prevent others from feeling they can break rules and get away with it. Plus, really stupid for a high profile athlete to try to be using fake ID anyway. The suspension is a stupid tax.

quote:

---

Unless, like I said, he copped to it privately to one of the coaches in which case he has to miss per UGA policy

---

We know most of our players are drinking downtown, and they aren't suspended. Suspension should go with the charges.

If mcgarity or whoever else is privy to the conversation, then yeah it has to happen. And even though the conviction won't occur, Ledbetter is still identified in a police report as being drunk underage and having a fake ID. The technicality of the cops acquiring his ID illegally doesn't erase the fact that he was drunk with a fake. Kind of hard to hide that and hard for the AD to justify dropping a suspension knowing it.

If you're going to drink underage downtown, know your limits and don't get caught doing it. If you're a junior or senior downtown and see one of the young guys hitting the bottle a little too hard, call him a ride. Go have fun but show some responsibility and accountability and some awareness that the moment you showed p on tv on NSD, you became a recognizable public figure. Fair or not, you have to act like one and expect to be disciplined like one if you're ever busted.

Pg 150 in the UGA compliance policy statement. Basically says that the athletic association and the players must remain knowledgable and compliant with all NCAA, sec, and UGA policies. Underage drinking is a violation of a uga school policy and athletics complies with that policy be mandating violators be suspended 10% of a season. Unless something else gives Kirby et al reason not to comply with that policy, he's going to be suspended.

quote:

---

so if Eason tells Kirby he was drinking last night, he has to miss 10% of the games?

---

If Eason is asked by Kirby and says "yes" then he will miss a game. And if Kirby Smart violates a university regulation by not suspending a player, then he is subject to penalty OR termination. It's in his contract.

There's a difference between overhearing a convo and having something written into a police report that is then published in a major paper