Towards the end of the inspection, as the officer stood between the players' cars, Aguero asked if the ticket was a super speeding ticket, or a more severe speeding offense under Georgia law.
“I know Coach Smart is upset about it,” Aguero said of Georgia coach Kirby Smart.
The officer, who didn't seem to realize he'd pulled over two Georgia football players until that moment, then his demeanor changed and he immediately brought up the January 2023 accident that killed two members of the program.
“What happened last January? People died,” the officer said, before adding, “Let's not become a statistic, because who do you think is going to go out and do that work? Me.”
The traffic stop was one of 24 speeding incidents and arrests involving Georgia football players and staff since the 2023 championship celebration in January, culminating in the early morning crash that killed Georgia lineman Devin Willock and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy.
Though the players directly involved in the accident have since left the team, Georgia's football team continues to be plagued by incidents of speeding, reckless driving, and racing, a trend highlighted this month by the arrest of two players on reckless driving charges. Meanwhile, former Georgia football scouting analyst Victoria “Tory” Bowles, who was seriously injured in the accident, and the Willock family continue to pursue a lawsuit against the sports association and other parties seeking liability.
Smart told reporters at the SEC Media Day event in Dallas on Tuesday that the program uses a variety of measures to crack down on speeding, including driving safety classes and driver's license suspensions.
“We do more education than anywhere in the country. We take disciplinary action in the form of suspensions and we will continue to do so because those actions result in suspensions,” Smart said, who declined to provide further details about upcoming suspensions.
But it's unclear how the program's measures will impact the speeding issues plaguing Georgia's football program.
Credit: Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution
University of Georgia football players and staff have been involved in at least two dozen incidents and arrests related to speeding, reckless driving and drunk driving in the year and a half since the 2023 championship ceremony in January.
Police records show that number was 23 in the 18 months prior to the accident.
Reached for comment, athletic association spokesman Stephen Drummond directed the AJC to comments made by Kirby Smart in Dallas.
The inherent dangers of speeding were most recently illustrated in the case of Jonathan LeMonte Hughley, who was arrested for reckless driving on July 9. Police said the offensive lineman, who goes by “Bo,” lost control of his vehicle while attempting a turn on Carlton Street in an area of the University of Georgia campus known as East Campus Village.
According to a Georgia State Police report, Hughley told police he was driving 25 miles per hour, above the speed limit, just before the single-vehicle crash.
However, video evidence reviewed by police revealed that Hughley accelerated around another vehicle at an estimated speed of 42 mph, then ran off the road and his car skidded across the sidewalk before striking a speed limit sign.
According to police reports, the sign was found 65 feet away from the scene of the crash, which was so strong that it severed the car's passenger-side front tire.
“These areas are heavily traveled by pedestrians who could be seriously injured or killed by an out-of-control vehicle,” the arresting officer wrote in his report.
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
The next day, freshman defensive back DeMelo Jones and senior linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. were stopped by an Athens police officer who said he saw the two racing while running west on Broad Street.
Jones, who was driving a gray 2021 Porsche Panamera, began to slow down as the patrol car drew up behind him, while Mondon accelerated and pulled out in front of Jones, who was driving a black 2022 Dodge Charger, according to police records.
According to records, Mondon denied racing and told officers he didn't know Jones, but Jones admitted to police that Mondon was his teammate. Both were accused of racing, and Mondon was arrested for reckless driving.
Mondon's involvement in this case is particularly noteworthy because he was questioned by police at the scene of the January 2023 accident.
The night of the accident, he was at Toppers International Show Bar, an Athens strip club, where LeCroy, Willock, Jalen Carter, Bowles and others from the football program were celebrating shortly before the crash.
Credits: Edit
Credits: Edit
Mondon was not charged after the accident. Police records show he and teammate Jamon Dumas-Johnson, who now plays at Kentucky, only arrived at the scene of the accident after receiving a call from Carter. Carter was subsequently charged with reckless driving and racing in connection with the accident. He pleaded not guilty in March 2023 and was given 12 months probation, a $1,013 fine and 50 hours of community service. A month later, he was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round.
Notable athlete incidents since fatal accident The incidents included the September arrest of University of Georgia employee Jarvis Jones, who was the program's player relations coordinator at the time, for reckless driving after a police officer recorded Jones going 86 mph in a 40 mph speed zone, records show.
Former University of Georgia players Denyron Morrissette and Marcus Roseme-Jacques-Saint were each stopped three times for traffic violations last year while attending Georgia.
Smart confirmed Tuesday that Rosemee Jacques-Saint, who signed with the Washington Commanders in April, was suspended last season. He also confirmed that guard David Daniel-Sisavanh has left the team after being charged with reckless driving earlier this year.
Survivors and families demand explanations
While the program continues to combat speeding, the question of who is responsible for the deaths and injuries caused by a January 2023 crash remains pending in Gwinnett County court.
About a year after the lawsuit was filed, two other lawsuits were filed. The lawsuit filed by Bowles and the Willock family against Carter, the athletic association and LeCroy's heirs has been plagued by delays.
Lawyers for the Willocks and Bowles allege the athletics association was negligent in entrusting LeCroy, who had a history of speeding, with a Ford Expedition that the association rented to transport freshmen and their families around Athens during the national championship weekend celebrations, and that Carter, who raced with LeCroy just before the accident, was also negligent.
Credit: Toppers International Showbar
Credit: Toppers International Showbar
A police investigation determined that LeCroy was traveling over 100 mph when his car left the road, struck a tree, and crashed into an apartment building on Barnett Shoals Road. A subsequent toxicology report revealed that LeCroy's blood alcohol content was 0.197, more than twice the legal limit.
Investigators relied on video footage from the route from downtown Athens to the crash scene to determine that Carter was making aggressive lane changes and driving at speeds of up to 100 mph.
Lawyers for Carter and the athletic association deny liability.
Bowles was fired last August. UGA was shortly after her application. Bowles' lawyers have portrayed the actions as retaliation. In January, Bowles' lawyers alleged in a bombshell filing that Georgia coaches and staff frequently drove Georgia College Athletic Association rental cars after drinking alcohol. The allegations, based on text messages from Bowles' cell phone, have not yet been tested in court.
They also allege that Georgia coaches spent cash during unofficial recruiting visits, a spending that may have violated NCAA rules at the time.
“We are reviewing the amended complaint, but we intend to dispute its allegations and vigorously defend the Athletic Association's interests in court,” Athletic Association spokesman Drummond said at the time.
Both cases are currently in the fact-finding stage, with both sides exchanging evidence and seeking testimony from key players, potentially including Mr Smart.
“that's right”
Last Tuesday in Dallas, Smart made another shocking statement: The Classic City Collective, the group that distributes name, image and likeness fees to players, is fining players for violations that include breaking the law.
Credit: Athens-Clarke County Police Department
Credit: Athens-Clarke County Police Department
“I think the way to curb some of this is to reach into their wallets and give them a fine, because this fine is big and it makes them think about the mistakes they've made,” Smart said.
Classic City CEO Matt Hibbs did not respond to calls and messages seeking to confirm Smart's comments and details about the fine.
Still, some blame NIL and players' easy access to high-powered cars for the recent speeding phenomenon.
For example, on the night of the accident, Carter was driving a 700-horsepower Jeep Cherokee Trackhawk, which he had acquired under an unsecured contract with an Ohio luxury car dealer, according to court records.
According to vehicle registration records, Rosemee-Jacques Santo was pulled over in May 2023 on Atlanta Highway for going 90 mph in a 45 mph speed zone. It was his third speeding citation in nine days. He was driving a 2020 Dodge Charger that he obtained with the help of an NIL agent.
According to police video footage obtained by the AJC, the Athens police officer who arrested Rosemey-Jacquessant mentioned the January fatality as he was taken to jail.
“It's crazy how much you guys speed around here,” the officer said, “Me and my unit were assigned to this case.”
The officer then offered his own theory as to why players are increasingly being stopped for speeding.
“One of the reasons this is a big issue for you guys, and I think it's not just for you, it's an issue across the country, is that there are NIL trades for high-speed vehicles that shouldn't be allowed to drive around here,” he said. “We've never had this issue before.”
Rosemie Jacques Santo seemed to agree.
“That is correct,” replied Rosemie Jacquessanth.
