Nobody wants to feel like a fool me once, let alone twice.
This is exactly what happened to the Georgia Bulldogs when wide receiver Rara Thomas was arrested Friday morning on a felony charge of cruelty to children and two misdemeanor charges of battery. This wasn't Thomas' first arrest on similar charges; in January 2023, he faced a felony charge of false imprisonment and a misdemeanor charge of family violence. Although those charges were eventually dropped, Thomas faced no legal punishment.
Rara Thomas, a former 4-star recruit from Eufaula, Alabama, joined the Mississippi State Bulldogs football team in 2021. During his two seasons with the team, he accumulated 878 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. After the 2022 season, Thomas transferred to the Georgia Bulldogs via the transfer portal.
Last season in Athens, Thomas had 383 yards and one touchdown, making him UGA's fifth-leading receiver in 2023 behind TE Brock Bowers, WR Dominic Lovett, WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, and WR Ladd McConkey. As you can see, three of the top four leading receivers in 2023 are now in the NFL. Rara Thomas was expected to return alongside another top receiver from 2023, Dominic Lovett, and play a crucial role in 2024 as a key receiver in the Georgia Bulldogs' offense.
Rara Thomas has been suspended indefinitely. Fortunately for the Bulldogs, Georgia fields its deepest receiving corps ever, including WR Dillon Bell, WR Arian Smith, Miami transfer WR Colby Young, true freshman WR Nitro Tuggle, true freshman WR Tyler Williams, USC transfer WR Michael Jackson, and Vanderbilt transfer WR London Humphreys. As they head into the 2024 season, Georgia adopts a "next man up" mentality, with excellent receivers ready to step in and fill the void left by Thomas.
Kirby Smart needs to be held accountable for the actions of his players. This is one of many instances where his players have been associated with crime. This is unacceptable and should not be tolerated. As John Maxwell said, "A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the blame and a little less than his share of the credit."
Under Kirby Smart, the Georgia Bulldogs have won two SEC titles and two national titles. He has taken credit for these championships and, as a result, has been awarded a raise with an annual salary of $13 million, making him the highest-paid coach in college football. With that being said, just as he has taken the credit, he needs to take the blame for his players' lack of off-the-field discipline.
Thomas' arrest comes just days before the Bulldogs are set to begin their fall camp for the 2024 college football season. The fall camp practices will start on Thursday, August 1st. Georgia's Associate Athletic Director for Strategic Communications, Steven Drummond, provided a brief statement:
"This is a pending legal matter. We will have no further comment at this point."
Kirby Smart needs to take appropriate actions as a leader to ensure this does not happen again.