Rodarius “Rara” Thomas will be unavailable to the Georgia football team for the foreseeable future. The Bulldogs wide receiver has been suspended indefinitely after being arrested around 3:20 a.m. on Friday, as revealed by Athens-Clarke County jail records.
Thomas is facing charges of cruelty to children and battery, and he remains incarcerated without bail.
His arrest adds to the recent legal troubles plaguing several members of the successful college football team over the previous months.
This incident represents Thomas’ second arrest within the last 18 months. In January 2023, he was taken into custody by University of Georgia Police on a felony charge of false imprisonment and a misdemeanor count of family violence battery.
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Georgia wide receiver Rara Thomas was arrested on charges of cruelty to children and battery early Friday, July 26, 2024, in Athens, Ga., contributing to the team’s recent legal troubles. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
The charges against Thomas were subsequently dropped after he entered a pretrial diversion program. Details surrounding his latest arrest are not yet available.
Georgia Athletic Association spokesperson Steven Drummond stated that the matter concerning Thomas “is a pending legal issue. We will refrain from making further comments at this time.”
TWO GEORGIA FOOTBALL PLAYERS ARRESTED ON BACK-TO-BACK NIGHTS ON RECKLESS DRIVING CHARGES
During the Southeastern Conference media days on July 16, Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart addressed efforts to tackle recurring driving offenses among his players.
A Georgia Bulldogs helmet during the fourth quarter of a game against the Missouri Tigers at Sanford Stadium on Nov. 4, 2023, in Athens, Ga. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Smart mentioned that players have faced suspensions and fines through the collective facilitating name, image, and likeness (NIL) payments to the university’s athletes. He adhered to a policy of not publicly disclosing information about player suspensions.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate to publicly shame kids in a town square,” Smart remarked at SEC media days earlier this month. “When that occurs, they experience a lot. And there’s significant remorse from these young men who have made mistakes. Our responsibility is to educate and help them grow.”
A team official later confirmed Thomas’ suspension.
Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga. (Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
The Bulldogs will kick off their season in Atlanta on August 31 against the Clemson Tigers.
According to The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Georgia players have been implicated in 24 driving-related offenses (DUI, reckless driving, or speeding), including a tragic crash that resulted in the deaths of a player and a recruiting staffer in January 2023.
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Georgia offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy lost their lives in a car crash on January 15, 2023, just days following the Bulldogs’ national championship victory.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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