ATHENS, GA – Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Rodarius “Rara” Thomas has been suspended indefinitely following his arrest early Friday morning. According to Athens-Clarke County jail records, Thomas was taken into custody around 3:20 a.m. on charges of cruelty to children and battery and is currently being held without bail.
This incident is the latest in a series of legal troubles for the Georgia football team, which has seen multiple players entangled in legal issues over the past several months. Thomas himself was previously arrested in January 2023 on a felony charge of false imprisonment and a misdemeanor count of family violence battery. Those charges were eventually dropped after he entered a pretrial diversion program.
Georgia Athletic Association spokesperson Steven Drummond stated that the situation with Thomas is a pending legal matter and declined to provide further comments. Head coach Kirby Smart, who recently addressed the team’s repeated driving offenses at Southeastern Conference media days, has a policy of not publicly announcing player suspensions. Smart emphasized the importance of educating and supporting young athletes who make mistakes rather than publicly shaming them.
The Bulldogs are set to open their season on August 31 in Atlanta against the Clemson Tigers. The team’s recent legal issues have included 24 driving-related violations, as reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, including a tragic crash in January 2023 that resulted in the deaths of offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy.