Former Georgia standout, NFL tight end facing felony charges

Former Georgia and NFL tight end Arthur Lynch is facing two counts of felony sexual battery in Tennessee, stemming back to events that took place in April of 2021, per a report from the Athens Banner-Herald.

The 31-year-old Massachusetts native, who now lives and works in Knoxville, was arrested last week by the US Marshals Service Smoky Mountains Fugitive Task Force on a warrant, per the report. Lynch was picked up at the airport and indicted by a grand jury on two felony sexual battery counts, before he was booked into the Silverdale Detention Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee at 6:52 p.m. on March 23. He was released on bond the next day.

Details of Lynch’s alleged battery remain unknown, save for the indictment, which says he “did unlawfully and intentionally engage in sexual contact with (alleged victim) and the sexual contact was accomplished without the consent of the victim and the defendant knew or had reason to know at the time of the contact that the victim did not consent, and force or coercion was used to accomplish the sexual contact…”

A native of Dartmouth, Lynch was a four-star recruit in the class of 2009, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. That made him the No. 5 tight end in the 2009 cycle, as well as the No. 1 prospect coming out of Massachusetts.

Following his commitment to Georgia, Lynch had a successful four-year career with the Bulldogs, including two seasons spent as a starting tight end. In his career, Lynch reeled in 56 catches for 907 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. His career-best mark came in 2013, as a senior, when his 30-reception, 459-yard, five-touchdown campaign saw him named an All-SEC selection.

Lynch was selected in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, as the Miami Dolphins used the 155th-overall pick to take him. Lynch spent a brief period with the Dolphins, largely on the injured reserve, before he was waived in September of 2014. He later signed practice-squad contracts with the New York Jets, Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons before retiring from professional football.