Georgia WR RaRa Thomas suspended indefinitely: What to really make of the situation

This is different. I may have been in The Classic City around the same time hearing of RaRa Thomas' latest arrest. He was later suspended indefinitely by head coach Kirby Smart. With this being his second arrest on similar domestic disputes, Smart really had no choice in the matter. The fact it is supposedly involves children certainly makes me sick to my stomach.

While everyone outside of Dawg Nation is going to quickly point the finger at Georgia and clamor that Smart has lost control of the program, all arrests are not created equally. Thomas' previous arrest was not great by any means either, but those charges were dropped in favor of a pretrial diversion. I am not a legal expert by any stretch of the imagination, but this latest offense is worse than racing.

Thomas was entering his second season at Georgia after having played a Mississippi State previously. He was one of two marquee transfers joining the receiving room a year ago, along with Dominic Lovett, formerly of Missouri. While Thomas was expected to compete for a starting role in Georgia's deep receiver room, the Dawgs will now be without one less playmaker on the offense.

With the season right about to start, the timing of all this could not be worse for the Georgia program.

Let's briefly unpack what Thomas' latest arrest and suspension means for the team going forward.

Georgia WR RaRa Thomas suspended indefinitely after his latest arrest

Given the serious nature of the charges Thomas is facing, I am not going to opine on that. I will let the legal system sort out the situation. What I will do my is to try to unpack what this really means for the Georgia program instead. In my 15-plus years of fandom, there have been plenty of arrests and dismissals and whatnot regarding this team. However, this one feels like two other ones in particular.

I remember running back Isaiah Crowell being dismissed from the team back when I was in undergrad. Similarly, I remember outside linebacker Adam Anderson being dismissed during the Dawgs' run to a national championship. Thomas was on his way to being that type of playmaker for the Dawgs. Losing both was a major distraction, but it paved the way for others to step up instead.

Crowell's dismissal allowed for Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall to get more carries as true freshman in 2012. Anderson's departure put more of an emphasis on other key players in the Georgia defensive front-seven. What I think will happen in the Georgia receiving corps in Thomas' absence will be the same. It will allow more opportunities for guys further down the depth chart to start making plays.

No, I don't condone what any of the three former Georgia players in question did or didn't do. I am also not one to stand on my morale high horse because I too am a flawed individual. What I do know is that it is in Georgia's football culture to embrace the next man up mentality. This is why Georgia will be able to withstand losing one of the key pieces in their passing game this late into the team's offseason.

It is hard to draw the line, but sometimes like this, it is so painfully obvious and you have to move on.