Georgia DL Jonathan Taylor dismissed following arrest

As expected to happen by many, Georgia defensive lineman Jonathan Taylor was dismissed by head coach Mark Richt on Wednesday, following his Tuesday arrest on assault charges, per a report from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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Taylor was arrested on Tuesday on an aggravated assault/family violence charge, and was released from jail on Wednesday afternoon when the University released the news of Taylor’s dismissal.

This was Taylor’s second arrest during the offseason, the first coming in March when he was one of four Georgia football players arrested for theft by deception after they were caught double-dipping meal reimbursement checks.

Other than a slight blow to the depth, this isn’t a huge loss for the Dawgs, as Taylor was a third string nose tackle, playing behind Mike Thornton and Chris Mayes, both of whom are possible starters and are far ahead of Taylor in terms of talent.

While those on the outside will point at Georgia and start talking about all the problems, there really is very little at which to point. Three of the four players who were caught in the check-cashing scam are now gone from the team, and those were the players who seemed to be repeatedly finding trouble.

All Jonathan Taylor’s dismissal means is one less problem for Richt and defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, and one more spot available for a talented freshman who wants to play and do things the right way.

The question for Taylor is now not where he will end up playing, but if he can even stay out of jail. He had been granted pretrial diversion treatment on the theft charges, and was ordered to do community service and allowed to stay on the team without facing suspension. Now the court will probably take a harder stance on Taylor if he should be found guilty of these new charges.

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