Georgia Bulldogs’ John Atkins Arrested For License Violation
By Josh Sanchez
During a time where a lot of college football players are finding trouble and getting themselves arrested, when I first saw the headline from RedandBlack.com that Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman John Atkins was arrested, I thought to myself, “Here we go again”. After reading the report that quickly changed to, “Are you serious?” Yes, it is true that Atkins was arrested and charged for a license violation by the Georgia police and booked in Athens-Clarke County jail, but the details may leave you slapping your head.
Atkins was released on a bond of $1,000, but that doesn’t take away from what happened.
According to the report, Atkins was going to meet his mother so he could get his hands on his birth certificate and social security card before an appointment at the Georgia Driver’s License office to resolve an issue with his drivers license when he was pulled over for a seat belt violation. When the police officer got to his car, he learned that Atkins had only a learner’s permit and there was no adult supervision.
Because of this, Atkins was arrested and charged before he ever got to meet with his mother to get the documents that would have resolved the issues for what he was arrested. Apparently they are real serious with this “Click It Or Ticket” thing.
It seems a bit unfair, but Atkins should have been more away and this could have all been avoided.
Georgia has said that they are reviewing the situation and that any discipline will be handled internally. Thankfully, it appears that head coach Mark Richt will not take away any playing time from the freshman defensive tackle.
“I am aware of the situation involving John Atkins, and the discipline will be handled internally. It will not involve any playing time,” Richt said in a statement.
In the end, I guess the law is the law, so he has to pay whatever fines may come his way, but let this be a lesson to us all. Next time your mother asks you to meet her for very important documents that you need, tell her to stop on over and just cite the Atkins incident.
Oh, and kids, buckle up!