Colbie Young reaches plea deal, has charge dropped in domestic violence case

Georgia wide receiver Colbie Young reached a plea deal in his domestic violence case, DawgsHQ’s Jake Rowe confirmed. He saw a charge dropped as part of the agreement with the Athens-Clarke County solicitor general’s office.

Young pled no contest to an altered charge of disorderly conduct and received 12 months probation. He will also have to pay a $500 fine and complete a program focused on family violence intervention. None of the original charges in the case – domestic battery or causing harm to an unborn child – stood.

Young was arrested in October and subsequently suspended by UGA after his arrest. However, the alleged victim in the case spoke out in November and called for the charges to be dropped. That led Young’s attorney, Kim T. Stephens, to call for his reinstatement.

“Since making that statement, [the alleged victim] contacted my office to clarify the facts about what happened, and didn’t happen, on October 8,” Stephens wrote in a statement obtained by DawgsHQ. “She also made it clear that she had communicated with the prosecutor’s office and requested on multiple occasions that the charges against Mr. Young be dismissed. Because her requests for dismissal have not been acted upon by the State, [the alleged victim] wanted to release a public statement and, in that regard, asked my office to provide this Release of Information and her Affidavit to media members.

Contemporaneous with releasing this information to media members, we are providing copies of the affidavit to the University of Georgia and the prosecuting attorney’s office. As evident by the Affidavit, Colbie Young did not commit any crime in this matter and all charges against him should be dismissed immediately. Likewise, because the affidavit fully exonerates Mr. Young, the University of Georgia should allow Mr. Young to return to all team activities including participation in games.”

Young appeared in five games for Georgia this year after transferring in from Miami, meaning he’s not eligible for a redshirt in what would’ve been his final season of college football. However, because he started his college career at the JUCO level, he could be able to return for one more go-round.

Colbie Young is one of the many JUCO products given another year of eligibility in 2025 from the NCAA in a decision that stemmed from Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia’s lawsuit against the organization.

Judge William Campbell sided with Pavia, granting a preliminary injunction which paved the way for him to return to Vanderbilt in 2025. The timing of Campbell’s decision came more than a week after the transfer portal opened. Pavia cited the portal window in the suit, citing the need for time to negotiate NIL deals.

The NCAA then followed suit, announcing a blanket waiver. Athletes who attended a non-NCAA school for at least one year and have eligibility left will be able to compete in 2025-26 as a result of the decision.