Kirby Smart Says Georgia's NIL Collective Is Fining Players For Off-Field Driving Issues

DALLAS -- As the off-field incidents continue to pile up related to reckless driving charges by Georgia football players, head coach Kirby Smart has revealed a different way that players are being punished for their actions. 

Over the past few years, the Bulldogs have seen a drastic uptick in off-field issues related to driving at high speeds. Following the crash that killed offensive lineman Devon Willock and Bulldogs staffer Chandler LeCroy, there have been multiple incidents related to reckless driving within the program. 

Two more Georgia players were arrested last week for reckless driving issues. 

The ongoing criticism of Georgia is certainly warranted, I don't care how many driving courses Kirby Smart forces his players to attend. But, there is a new aspect of punishment that we haven't seen, at least publicly from other institutions, that Kirby Smart actually has zero control over. 

In a way to further punish a player, outside of a suspension or being kicked off the team, Kirby Smart mentioned Tuesday morning at SEC Media Days that Georgia's collective has been punishing players over the past year, through their NIL checks. 

"Our Classic City Collective for over a year has been substantially fining guys for those things," Kirby Smart said this morning. "That’s not something that’s new. That’s something that’s been ongoing outside of my jurisdiction that they decided to implement and have done to a considerable amount."

I don't know how this works with a player and their contract with a collective, but this is certainly a different approach to how punishment is handed down from outside the facility. 

In terms of being one of only teams in the country that has suspended, or kicked off a player for a driving incident, Kirby Smart said that he hasn't seen any other school around the country do this, besides the Bulldogs. 

"As far as I know there’s not one team in the country that’s ever suspended a player for traffic violations, which that’s what Marcus Rosemy[-Jacksaint] got suspended for," Kirby Smart noted in the electronic media room. "I don’t know if anybody’s ever kicked somebody off the team for that. And we have that. And we’re going to continue to be proactive."

If a lot of this sounds familiar, look no further than how Nick Saban handled punishments at Alabama during his time as head coach. Saban was not the type of coach to release how he decided to punish a player, or if they would be suspended, with fans usually finding out during the pregame warmups. 

Carson Beck Speaks About Ongoing Off-Field Issues

Georgia starting quarterback Carson Beck has taken on the role of being a vocal leader of this football team in the past two years. So when your leader says that there's a problem, teammates will listen. In the case of the ongoing issues, Beck says that this is a serious issue, and there have been consequences for these mistakes. 

For Carson, he might have a fast car, but that doesn't mean he has to drive like an idiot. 

"Let's clarify. I don't like fast cars, I like cars. My car is fast, but I don't drive like an idiot. This has been an issue on our team, but also we have hundreds of players," Carson Beck told reporters. "A large percentage of our guys are very focused, and very on top of that."

ATHENS, GA - APRIL 13: Carson Beck #15 of the Georgia Bulldogs prior to the University of Georgia Spring Game at Sanford Stadium on April 13, 2024 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Steve Limentani/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Just when you think the problem might be solved at Georgia, there seems to be another issue that pops up. How Kirby Smart continues to handle this going forward will be interesting to watch, but let's not act like he's just sweeping this under the rug. 

Smart knows what this has done from a perception standpoint regarding his football team, and it's not as if he can have a staffer riding around with every single player, at all times of the day. 

At some point, Georgia players need to grow up and stop making their head coach look like a fool, while also embarrassing themselves.