Matt Hibbs—the founder of the Classic City NIL collective at Georgia—told On3's Pete Nakos that the collective withholds or deducts money from their payments for any player who is charged in a car-related matter.
Those comments come after Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said on Tuesday that players had been fined amid the growing number of driving-related arrests within the program.
Per Nakos, Hibbs noted that the collective has withheld "roughly six figures" over the past two years.
That news comes after Smart told reporters at SEC media days on Tuesday that the Bulldogs' collective has been "substantially fining" players for driving violations for more than a year.
Smart's comments came after offensive lineman Bo Hughley was arrested on a reckless-driving charge last week. Linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. was also arrested last week on misdemeanor charges of racing and reckless driving.
Freshman cornerback Demello Jones was charged with racing for driving his vehicle against Mondon. Jones wasn't arrested because he voluntarily pulled over and cooperated with law enforcement.
The Athletic's Seth Emerson noted seven Georgia players have been arrested on driving-related charges since January 2023. The highest-profile incident occurred in January 2023 that killed staffer Chandler LeCroy and offensive lineman Devin Willock in the hours after a celebration for the Bulldogs' 65-7 win over TCU in the College Football Playoff Championship Game.
Jalen Carter was charged with reckless driving and racing in connection to that incident. He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 12 months of probation, fined $1,000 and is required to complete 80 hours of community service and complete a state-sanctioned driving course.
Smart also said that players involved in these incidents are subject to suspension, but he declined to specify what they will be.
"I don't necessarily think it's right to go down to the town square and publicly shame kids when that happens," Smart said about not publicly announcing suspensions. "They go through a lot, and there's a lot of remorse from these young men who've made mistakes. But our job is to educate, continue to grow these young men."
Georgia will open the 2024 season against Clemson in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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