Trevor Etienne’s message on reckless driving: ‘Use me as an example, it’s not worth it’
Reckless driving has unfortunately become a popular term surrounding the Georgia football program. Multiple players have been arrested and charged for car-related offenses, turning into a real issue for head coach Kirby Smart. Running back Trevor Etienne was one of them, with his incident occurring in March with four misdemeanors — one of which was DUI.
Etienne served a one-game suspension, not playing in Georgia’s opening game against Clemson. Other punishments were handed out but when speaking to the media, Etienne would not reveal what they were. Now, it’s something he is looking to move on from after learning his lesson.
“It was a mistake,” Etienne said. “Move forward from it. I hope that everybody can learn from it and we can all move forward from it at the end of the day.”
The suspension wound up being just one game for Etienne as he was back for the home opener against Tennessee Tech. Smart gave him the start at running back too despite only getting five carries for 78 yards. Etienne saw his workload increase against Kentucky, rushing for 79 yards on 19 attempts.
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Once a star for the Florida Gators and now playing for the rival Bulldogs, Etienne is now attempting to be a leader following his arrest. He spoke with the team and urged them to use him as an example. Etienne says making those mistakes is “not worth it” and does nothing but take away from the on-field success.
“I addressed the team,” Etienne said. “I just told them all — ‘Use me as an example, it’s not worth it.’ It’s something we want to move forward from, keep putting our best foot forward and try to avoid those situations.”
Even with a strong message coming from Etienne, a few more arrests have taken place. Daniel Harris is just the latest and was charged with reckless driving — clocked at going over 100 miles per hour. Harris is in his sophomore season and did not play in Saturday’s game against Kentucky.
“Because we continue to have guys make poor decisions, you know? It’s very unfortunate,” Smart said. “I know that our staff, myself, continue to drive home the sensitive nature of it. It’s certainly a deadly speed when you’re talking about the speed that he was traveling at.
“You want kids to grow up. You want to treat them like your own kids. You want them to grow up and make good decisions and learn from others’ mistakes. Yeah, we have guys share and we obviously continue to talk to them, but it hasn’t stopped them. So find a way to do it.”