Kirby Smart shares comment on Colbie Young arrest

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia wide receiver Colbie Young was arrested early Tuesday morning on misdemeanor charges of assault on an unborn child and battery. Booked at 4:18 a.m. ET, it wasn’t until 1:36 p.m. – well after news broke of his arrest – that Young was released on bond. Tuesday afternoon, his head coach Kirby Smart had a chance to share on the situation.

“I know you guys want to know about Colbie and want to ask about it. It’s a pending legal matter and I don’t have any answers. I have not even had an opportunity to talk with him yet.”

Smart added that the team has brought in speakers to discuss how to handle situations like Young. Per Smart, Young was not with the team at practice on Tuesday, not sharing any indication as to what his availability for Saturday’s game might be.

A transfer from Miami, Young has played in all five games for Georgia this 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.

Young is the seventh Georgia player to be arrested since mid-March joining Trevor Etienne, Sacovie White, Bo Hughley, Smael Mondon, Rara Thomas and Daniel Harris. The majority of those have been driving related however, Thomas’ was a pair of misdemeanor family violence charges as well as a felony charge of cruelty to children in the second degree.

No. 5 Georgia (4-1, 2-1 SEC) takes on Mississippi State Saturday at Sanford Stadium. Kickoff time in the battle between the SEC’s Bulldogs is set for 4:15 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

Details of the Arrest

Details of Young’s arrest were released mid-morning. According to the report, an officer was dispatched to a battery call at an Athens area apartment complex off Tallassee Road. After arriving upon the scene, the officer met with the alleged victim who told him she went to meet with her ex-boyfriend, Young, to “speak with him about the status of their relationship.” Spending about 20 minutes on the scene, she said the conversation “turned into a heated argument” after finding him on the phone with another woman. She claimed there was infidelity in the relationship.

The victim told police that that Young “grabbed her left arm near her bicep and tricep and physically pulled her out of his room.” She added that Young was “using derogatory terms and being demeaning of her” before going back into his bedroom, shutting the door and locking it.

Upon her gathering her things and answering a phone call from a friend, the victim states that Young emerged from his room and “grabbed her from behind.” She said he picked her up and began to squeeze her torso and abdomen very hard. The victim told police she “felt Mr. Young was trying to harm her.”

After inspecting the victim’s injuries – noticing a bruise and discoloration on the bottom side of her chest where it meets the abdomen and redness on her right flank, not noting injuries on the arm where she said Young grabbed her – the officer called EMS to further evaluate the victim. She declined transportation but agreed to seek medical attention if the officer were to transport her to the hospital. He did so, then going to try and make contact with Young at his residence.

The report states that Young came to the door and invited the officer inside after he knocked on the door. The officer asked Young what had occurred with the victim. Young initially told him nothing before opening up in further interviewing.

Young was “very closed and gave very short answers” according to the report. He said that the victim “came over invited” to talk about their recently ended relationship. When “the argument got heated,” Young stated he escorted her to the door, denying ever grabbing the victim. When asked how she received the injuries she did, Young told the officer “it wasn’t from (him).”

Evaluating all the information he had gathered from the two sources, the officer found probable cause “based on the totality of the circumstances with physical evidence of injury” and placed Young under arrest. He was transported to Clarke County Jail without incident, turned over to sheriff’s office deputies and charged with misdemeanor battery and assault on an unborn child. The officer requested special condition of bond “due to (the victim) expressing some concerns about mental abuse in the past that had now escalated to alleged physical abuse.” She made mention of being scared of him, also adding the Young owns a firearm.