Former Georgia great continues trend of Bulldog high-speed reckless driving problems

Georgia football and the trend of players being arrested in reckless driving incidents took yet another turn on Thursday.

This time it is former Bulldog Nolan Smith, who is superstar for the Philadelphia Eagles, who was arrested and accused of driving 135 mph in a 70 mph zone in an incident that occurred on May 15.

Nolan Smith is the next Georgia Bulldog to be arrested from after an incident behind the wheel

No football program in the country has had more driving related arrests than Georgia. Sure Smith is no longer part of the program, but the public sees his connection to Georgia and all the incidents that have impacted their program.

Just last week new transfer Ja'Marley Riddle was arrested after a traffic stop. He is only facing a misdemeanor speeding charge, but he also has two drug-related charges being brought against him as well.

Riddle unfortunately wasn't the only Bulldog to be arrested after being behind the wheel this offseason. Back in February both Chris Cole and Darren Ikinnagbon were arrested and faced misdemeanor speeding charges as well.

And who could forget Zachariah Branch being arrested the Sunday before the NFL Draft? His arrest proved to be a bit of an overreaction by the police officer, but it was still another negative headline that Georgia just can't seem to avoid.

Nolan Smith's arrest came at the worst possible time in his career

Smith just wrapped up his third season in the NFL, all of which have been played with the Philadelphia Eagles. This past season he took a minor step back from his dominant 2024 campaign, but a small injury limited him to 12 regular season games where he recorded 31 tackles and three sacks.

His 2024 season was special though as he racked up a career high 58 tackles and 10.5 sacks to go along with two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. The highlight of this season though was when he and the Eagles won the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Smith is still in his rookie contract, and that is why this arrest comes at a terrible time in his career. A player like Smith who has excelled in the NFL would expect to sign a massive contract once their rookie contract expires, but an off the field incident has a chance to impact that contract when the time comes.

The Eagles have already exercised their fifth year option, so Smith is signed with them through the 2027 season. This gives him two more years to continue to dominate the NFL and show organizations why he deserves a massive payday in his next contract.

But it may be more important for him to stay out of trouble off the field. Who knows how organizations will view arrests and incidents like this, but it's better to just stay out of trouble so no one has to worry about that.

Unfortunately this is something Smith now has to worry about as it could end up impacting his entire career.

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