David Pollack addresses Georgia's driving arrest issues: 'There is no solution'

In recent seasons, the Georgia Bulldogs have established themselves on the field as one of the best programs in the country. Off the field, however, the program has build a different reputation, one for reckless driving and players acting unsafely behind the wheel.

Former Bulldog and college football analyst David Pollack recently addressed these issues on his show CFB with DP. There, he bluntly admitted he doesn’t see an easy solution for head coach Kirby Smart and pointed to NIL as a root cause of the issues.

“There is no solution,” David Pollack said. “Here’s what’s happening now, the kids are getting fined, which is good. If you don’t know, we live really close to this and there’s this Athens loop and it’s Loop 10. It goes around the perimeter here of the Athens area. From what I understand, I’ve heard a bunch of good stories now about how they’ll basically time themselves going around the loop, which is extremely dangerous. Not good. Not smart. But, you know, back in the day, we didn’t have these cars because we didn’t have this money. So, mo money mo problems, right?”

There have been a string of driving-related issues within the Georgia football program in recent years. That includes multiple DUI and reckless driving arrests. The most recent of those was on March 19th, when wide receiver Nitro Tuggle was charged with misdemeanor speeding and reckless driving. He allegedly was traveling at 107 mph. This string of issues, while not entirely unique to Georgia, has been highlighted by the deadly car crash in January of 2023 that killed offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy.

“So, I think you’ve seen some of that. They haven’t had a lot of off-the-field stuff besides the driving,” Pollack said. “And I can tell you this from talking to people at the school, plenty of speakers that have come in with lost loved ones. Plenty of cops that have come in. Plenty of people that have told stories… It’s not sinking in. I don’t understand it but I do understand it because I understand being young, dumb, and invincible. I remember that feeling untouchable. I was too scared to do this — I just wouldn’t have done it because of that.”

The problem now, from David Pollack’s perspective, is finding a way to convince players not to put themselves in situations where they’re making poor choices. However, no methods have worked to get that point across just yet.

“But I just don’t think there’s anything you can do. Fine. Kick them off the team. Suspend them indefinitely. That’s the kind of stuff you can do. Listen, that takes a paycheck away, probably. Take some of that money away and that’s probably a start,” Pollack said. “But, otherwise, I promise you Kirby probably would have figured it out.”

Regardless of what the solution is moving forward, Smart and Georgia will continue searching for answers. Otherwise, as Pollack is concerned, these driving issues are going to continue for the program.

Kirby Smart publicly addresses arrests of Nitro Tuggle, Marques Easley

Nitro Tuggle and Marques Easley were recently arrested over driving-related issues for Georgia. Now, head coach Kirby Smart has taken the time to address those incidents.

“Yeah, disappointed, obviously, in those two young men and the decision-making process for each one. Both of them are younger players and have made crucial mistakes. As far as the process we’ve followed, it’s not been several months, it’s been several years in terms of defensive driving courses, having players ride and learn how to drive — just like my two kids did — with a driver service,” Smart said.

“(Georgia athletic director) Josh Brooks has done a tremendous job meeting with every player, we’ve had several speakers come in, and we continue to educate and we’re not going to stop at that. It’s very unfortunate that one of those young men got his driver’s license within one month of that happening at 18 or 19 years old. It’s amazing how many kids come to school without a driver’s license. So it’s no excuse, but it’s one of those things that we’ll continue to educate and discipline our guys to try to correct it.”

Tuggle was cited going 42 mph over the speed limit while Easly crashed a vehicle into a building. Both Tuggle and Easley were suspended indefinitely by the Georgia program.