More details on Georgia RB Trevor Etienne arrest

James Parks | Mar 26, 2024

Scenes from a Georgia Bulldogs college football game / Mike Zarrilli/GettyImages

Georgia Bulldogs running back Trevor Etienne was arrested and charged with a DUI over the weekend, and now we are getting some more details into what happened.

The full incident report from the Athens-Clarke Co. (Ga.) police explains why Etienne was initially pulled over and why he was charged.

The arresting officer noticed Etienne's car had come to a sudden stop at a red light in the very early hours of Sunday morning, a stop that was so sudden that his tires locked and made a loud screeching sound on the pavement.

After noticing the stop, the officer did a U-turn to follow Etienne and saw him pass two other cars at a high rate of speed on a poorly-lit road.

The officer turned on his emergency lights and pursued the Georgia running back, who continued on the road and reached speeds the police claim to be 80-90 miles per hour.

Etienne passed another car on the road and only stopped when faced with the gate to a community. Once the officer spoke with him, Etienne said that he was trying to get home.

The officer says that Etienne admitted to drinking three beers "way earlier" that evening, but did not consent to a field sobriety test and told the officer that he would push his own car home if he had to.

The arresting officer claimed that Etienne swayed from side to side as he spoke, that his eyes appeared to be glazed over, and that his speech sounded slurred.

Etienne was booked at 4:23 a.m. and posted a $1,883 bond more than an hour later.

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Etienne was charged with four different traffic-related misdemeanors that include charges for DUI (less safe), reckless driving, failing to maintain lane, and affixing materials that reduce visibility of windows and windshield.

Georgia football coach Kirby Smart responded to Etienne's arrest, noting his admiration for the player while adding that he will have to deal with the consequences.

“I would first want to reiterate what I said last week about the kid,” Smart said.

“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him. I think he’s a great kid, great person. We’ve gotten to know his family. He enjoys being coached. He’s a bright kid and we push him hard out there. He really loves the competition, but as we also know, sometimes kids don’t make the best decisions."

Smart added: “The older you get sometimes the tougher the consequences are for your mistakes. He’s not going to let this mistake define him. He’s embarrassed, upset, and knows he made a mistake. It’s a teaching moment, and we hope he gets better from it.”

Georgia football team policy notes that any player convicted of a DUI will have to serve a minimum one-game suspension. The Bulldogs open the season on Aug. 31 against Clemson.

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