Kirby Smart addresses suspension status of Colbie Young

It’s been a couple of weeks since Kirby Smart last shared comment on Colbie Young. The Georgia wide receiver has been forced off the field the last six games. He’s missed half the regular season due to an arrest and ensuing indefinite suspension from his head coach until the legal process played out. Well, on Tuesday, Smart was asked for the latest on Young after reports surfaced Monday night that he’s back with the team after being cleared by the UGA Equal Opportunity Office.

Smart opened his press conference saying that he understands its a question that reporters want answers to, but at the time with the situation still a pending legal matter, there wasn’t much he could share.

“I know you guys have a lot of questions about the Colbie Young situation, I respect that and understand it, but it’s still a pending legal matter. So Colbie’s competition status hasn’t changed, and we don’t have any timelines or really expectations on this process,” Smart said. “He is back practicing with us and using the facilities. But that’s all I can really comment on that. Any questions about practice or what we got going on, I’d be glad to answer.”

Young has had access to Georgia’s facilities for longer than the last week. It was on November 11th – the week of the Tennessee game – that Smart told reporters “(UGA) continue to provide him with access to facilities and support resources” including the student-athlete academic center, the training and weight rooms, mental health counseling and more. Smart did emphasize then, as he did this week, that until the legal process has played itself out, there’s nothing that can be done about Young’s ability to get on the field. His arraignment hearing is set for December 10th with his alleged victim asking Athens-Clarke County Police for the charges to be dropped several time since the incident in early October.

Young’s attorney, Kim T. Stephens, shared with the media earlier this month that the victim had made a strong efforts for the charges to be dropped, speaking with the Athens-Clarke County Police Department less than a week after Young’s arrest and multiple times since then.

“On October 8, 2024, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department arrested Colbie Young alleging that he committed two misdemeanor offenses. After meeting with Mr. Young, I released a statement saying that Colbie Young did not make physical contact with his ex-girlfriend in any way that could every be considered a crime and that I expected Mr. Young to be exonerated once our investigation was complete and the truth revealed.

Since making that statement, [the alleged victim] contacted my office to clarify the facts about what happened, and didn’t happen, on October 8. She also made it clear that she had communicated with the prosecutor’s office and requested on multiple occasions that the charges against Mr. Young be dismissed. Because her requests for dismissal have not been acted upon by the State, [the alleged victim] wanted to release a public statement and, in that regard, asked my office to provide this Release of Information and her Affidavit to media members.

Contemporaneous with releasing this information to media members, we are providing copies of the affidavit to the University of Georgia and the prosecuting attorney’s office.

As evident by the Affidavit, Colbie Young did not commit any crime in this matter and all charges against him should be dismissed immediately. Likewise, because the affidavit fully exonerates Mr. Young, the University of Georgia should allow Mr. Young to return to all team activities including participation in games.”

Kim T. Stephens –

The affidavit, obtained by DawgsHQ on November 6th, shared that the alleged victim stated that she first notified the Solicitor’s Office for Athens-Clarke County that she wanted the case dismissed on October 14th (six days after the arrest) and since that date has repeated her request on multiple occasions.

“Colbie did not place his hands on me in any way during the conversation and the argument that was inappropriate or unwanted,” the alleged victim stated in the affidavit. “He did not hit me He did not push me. He did not cause any bruising or marks on me. He did not injure me in any way. To be clear, Colbie Young did not commit any acts of violence toward me or my unborn child, including but not limited to simple battery, battery, or assault on an unborn child.”

The alleged victim also requested that the incident report reflect the sworn affidavit, she called the information in the police report “slanted” and asked not only that the State drop charges against Young, but that he also be reinstated to the Georgia football team. The affidavit is signed, notarized and dated November 6th, the date of publication of this story.

A transfer from Miami, Young played in Georgia’s first five games of the season totaling 11 catches for 149 yards and two touchdowns. He scored in each of his first two games for the Bulldogs, helping UGA past Clemson in the season-opener with the team’s first touchdown of the year. Prior to his career at Georgia, Young spent two seasons at Miami (Fla.) after playing one season at Lackawanna College in New York. He totaled 79 receptions for 930 yards and 10 touchdowns in 22 games for the Hurricanes, finishing third on the team in receptions (47) and receiving yards (563) as well as tied for second in receiving touchdowns (5) in 2023.

Georgia is set to take on Georgia Tech in the regular season finale this Friday at Sanford Stadium. After that, it’s on to the postseason for the Bulldogs with an SEC Championship Game date against either Texas or Texas A&M on December 7th and the announcement of the College Football Playoff field the next day.

Should Young’s charges be dropped during his arraignment, once again on December 10th, it’s expected he would be available to play for Georgia in the postseason. However, as Smart has stated each time he’s spoken about Young, until the legal process has played itself out, he remains indefinitely suspension from game action.

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