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Smael Mondon sees reckless driving, racing charges dropped

Palmber-Thombsby:Palmer Thombs•08/19/24•

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Smael Mondon
Tony Walsh / UGA Sports Communications

Georgia linebacker Smael Mondon can turn his attention to football now. The Athens Banner Herald reports that on Monday, charges for reckless driving and racing were dropped in a Clarke County courtroom during an arraignment for a July 10 incident in Athens that led to his arrest.

The All-SEC senior did plead guilty to “driving too fast for conditions,” and was required to complete a victim impact class, defensive driving school and pay a $500 fine.

“I don’t think they could have proved racing or reckless driving,” Healan told the Athens Banner-Herald. “There just wasn’t a race. Smael took off too fast from a traffic light. He accelerated too quickly. He’s driving a Dodge Hellcat which has very loud exhaust. It’s going to get people’s attention, it’s going to get the police’s attention. Accelerating quickly from a traffic light doesn’t mean you’re racing the person that happens to be beside you.”

According to the police report, Mondon was heading eastbound on West Broad Street, “accelerating at a high rate of speed in the 2022 Dodge Charger he was driving.” Changing lanes in front of a vehicle and driving at “an unsafe speed,” Mondon was pulled over at 1000 W. Broad Street, the former address of The Varsity. He was reportedly going 75 miles per hour in a 40 mph zone.

“There was no one that was endangered by this,” Healen added to his earlier comment. “There were no other cars that had to swerve or get out of the way. It simply wasn’t racing and it wasn’t reckless.”

Mondon is the third different Georgia player to have charges dropped this offseason for driving related incidents. Running back Trevor Etienne saw charges for DUI less safe and DUI under 21 dismissed, pleading no contest to a reckless driving charge. Meanwhile, just this past week, freshman wide receiver Sacovie White had his reckless driving charge dropped for going the wrong way down a one-way street in downtown Athens.

Kirby Smart has not commented on the status on any of the three players for the season opener against Clemson later this month. At SEC Media Days, the now ninth-year head coach made mention of possible suspensions but did not specify which players would be sidelined. Mondon has however been making his way back from a foot surgery that kept him out of spring practice and has limited his participation at times during fall camp.

The Bulldogs and Tigers will meet at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on August 31st in a top-15 matchup and a battle of programs that claim four of the last eight National Championship trophies.

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