Georgia football player De'Nylon Morrissette arrested on several charges

Another legal problem for the Georgia football program in an offseason defined by controversies, tragedy, and arrests

Georgia football player De'Nylon Morrissette was arrested on Monday in Oconee Co. (Ga.) on misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence of drugs, driving too fast for conditions, following too closely, and Class D restrictions, according to media reports. Morrissette was arrested after 3 a.m. and released shortly before noon.

The wide receiver is preparing for his sophomore season with the Bulldogs. A former four-star prospect from Stone Mountain, Ga., Morrissette played in 11 games as a true freshman and caught four passes for 34 yards before dealing with what head coach Kirby Smart called a hamstring and knee injury near the end of Georgia's national championship season and didn't play in four of the team's final five games.

Morrissette made three catches during Georgia's recent spring football game in mid-April and was hoping to earn a larger role in the Bulldogs' offense, but his new legal troubles could step in the way of those goals.

That's in addition to Georgia fielding a deeper offensive rotation this coming season, not only with tight end Brock Bowers and wide receiver Ladd McConkey returning to starting roles, but the Bulldogs signed a pair of high-profile transfers at receiver including RaRa Thomas, from Mississippi State, and Dominic Lovett, from Missouri.

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Morrissette's arrest comes amid a flurry of legal troubles, arrests, and one major tragedy for the Georgia football program following its second-straight College Football Playoff national championship.

Right after the team's national title parade in Athens, Bulldogs player Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy died in a high-speed car accident.

Wide receiver RaRa Thomas was arrested shortly thereafter on felony charges that were eventually dropped.

Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett was arrested while training in Dallas after police said he was banging on doors in the middle of the night while intoxicated and defender Jamon Dumas-Johnson was booked for racing and reckless driving.

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In March, police in Athens issued a warrant for star defensive tackle Jalen Carter's arrest relating to the fatal car accident that killed Willock and LeCroy. Carter, then at the NFL Combine to prepare for the draft, turned himself in and was released.

All of which led to critics laying charges against head coach Kirby Smart that he lost control of the culture at his program, claims he denied.

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