What's next for Georgia DB Javon Bullard after off-field trouble
The Sunday morning driving-under-the-influence arrest of Georgia defensive back Javon Bullard has put the Bulldogs in a slight state of uncertainty heading into their week five matchup with Missouri. Kirby Smart said on Monday that the matter will be handled internally, but he didn’t mean that Javon Bullard will only be subject to discipline from the UGA staff.
“We have a process here we go through,” Smart said when asked about handling the matter internally. “And we have a committee that he goes in front of with the athletic director. And that’s what I mean by it’ll be handled internally with us. There’s still a lot in the air there.”
According to the UGA student-athlete handbook, Javon Bullard is subject to an immediate suspension pending a review from the Comprehensive Action Plan Committee. That committee will impose a punishment for Bullard that could result in something as serious as dismissal from the team, suspension from competition, reduction in aid, or loss of aid. The handbook does not say that a suspension, outside of the initial one pending a review, is mandatory.
Javon Bullard was alone in the vehicle when he was pulled over. The arresting officer reports seeing the flashlight on Bullard’s phone as he held it to his ear. He was also driving without his lights on and drifted into the oncoming traffic lane prior to being pulled over.
Once Bullard was stopped, the UGA police noted slurred speech and found out that Bullard didn’t have his license on his person. His vehicle smelled of alcohol and when he was asked to step out of it, he appeared to lose his balance and stumble into his car door.
Javon Bullard was given a breath test where he registered blood alcohol levels of .143 and .148. Since Bullard is under the age of 21, he was subject to a DUI arrest if he had registered a BAC of 0.02 or higher.
According to the Athens-Clarke County jail log, Bullard was booked into the jail at just before 5 a.m. ET on Sunday morning. He was released approximately two and a half hours later on bond.
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He was charged with seven offenses. Those include not carrying a license, improper turning, minor in possession of alcohol, failure to maintain lane, failure to use head lights, operating a phone while driving and driving under the influence. Bond for those offenses combined came out to $4,750 according to the ACC Jail Log.
Javon Bullard was just over 12 hours removed from Georgia’s 39-22 win over Kent State. The Milledgeville, Ga. native had three solo tackles in that contest. He has seven tackles on the 2022 season with one pass breakup. He has started each of Georgia’s first four games.
Georgia signed Javon Bullard out of Baldwin County High School in the 2021 class. He played sparingly a year ago, primarily in mop-up time and on special teams.
The Bulldogs entered 2022 with a returning starter at STAR/nickel in William Poole. Javon Bullard had different plans. He proceeded to put together a strong preseason camp and win the job. Poole has since elected to step away from team to deal with some personal matters. Bullard’s primary competition at STAR/nickel is West Virginia transfer Tykee Smith.
