New Georgia wide receiver Rodarius “RaRa” Thomas was arrested Monday on charges of felony false imprisonment and misdemeanor battery-family violence, according to authorities.
Thomas was booked into the Athens-Clarke County jail at 4:04 a.m. ET and is being held without bond, jail officials said. Details of the incident were not immediately available, but the university released a statement.
“We are aware of a reported incident involving conduct by one of our student-athletes,” the Georgia athletic department said in a statement.
“While we are limited in what we can say about the incident, the report is disappointing and not reflective of the high standards we have for our student-athletes on and off the field.”
The 6-foot-1, 192-pound junior was a high-profile transfer this offseason from Mississippi State, where he led the Bulldogs with 626 receiving yards. He caught 44 passes, including seven touchdowns, in 12 games in 2022.
Thomas, a native of Eufala, Ala., posted 62 catches for 878 yards and 12 touchdowns in two seasons in Starkville.
The arrest of Thomas was a significant setback for the Georgia Bulldogs football team, which had recently achieved great success. The team had just won its second consecutive national championship, having defeated TCU with a score of 65-7 on January 9th.
However, just a few hours after celebrating this victory with a parade in Athens and a ceremony at Sanford Stadium, tragedy struck. On January 15th, offensive lineman Devin Willock and a member of the recruiting staff were involved in a fatal car accident.
The crash, which is still under investigation, is believed to have been caused in part by excessive speed. This devastating event further added to the Georgia team’s challenges.
–Field Level Media –additional information from the media was added.
