Georgia WR Rara Thomas suspended indefinitely following arrest on multiple charges

Georgia wide receiver Rara Thomas has been suspended indefinitely, DawgsHQ’s Rusty Mansell confirmed on the Dawg Walk message board. He was arrested on multiple family violence charges and was still in jail as of Friday afternoon, The Athletic’s Seth Emerson added.

According to DawgsHQ’s Jake Rowe, police took Thomas into custody at 3:20 a.m. local time Friday. He is facing two counts of battery – both of which are misdemeanors – and a felony count of cruelty to children. The expectation was a suspension was coming under university policy.

Thomas is gearing up for his second season at Georgia after transferring from Mississippi State, where he spent two years under the late Mike Leach. In 2023, he had 23 receptions for 383 yards and a touchdown as UGA made a run to the SEC Championship.

Rara Thomas is the latest Georgia player to deal with legal issues this offseason. In fact, over the last 18 months, 24 players or other members of the program have been charged with DUI, reckless driving or speeding, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Earlier this month, two players – Smael Mondon and Bo Hughley – were arrested on reckless driving charges. Hughley was also charged with a failure to maintain lane/improper driving on road, while Mondon was booked for racing on highways/streets. The charges are all misdemeanors.

Georgia issued multiple suspensions during that time, and head coach Kirby Smart addressed how the school’s NIL collective handles such issues. He pointed out “fines” during SEC Media Days in Dallas last week.

“Our Classic City Collective for over a year has been substantially fining guys for those things,” Smart said, via Dawgs HQ. “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 for a considerable amount.”

However, Classic City Collective CEO Matt Hibbs said it’s not “fining” players. Instead, the organization is withholding or deducting scheduled NIL payments for players charged with car-related incidents, Hibbs told On3’s Pete Nakos.

The penalty is part of the agreement signed between the athlete and the collective. Hibbs cautioned that athletes are not being fined, as athletes are not considered employees. The decision to withhold payment came from conversations between Smart and Hibbs on how to address the ongoing situation. Hibbs also told Nakos the collective has withheld roughly six figures over the last two years. He declined to give a more specific figure.