Stetson Bennett, the quarterback of the University of Georgia’s back-to-back national championship teams, was arrested on charges of public intoxication in Dallas, Texas, on Sunday morning, according to police.
Police in Old East Dallas were called to the 1600 block of Tribeca Way about 6 a.m. after getting reports of a man banging on doors in the area. When they got there, they found 25-year-old Bennett and determined he was intoxicated, Dallas police said in a statement.
Detention center officials would not confirm with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution whether Bennett had been released, but Dallas TV station WFAA reported he was released from the facility about 10:45 a.m. Central time wearing a black hoodie and being escorted into a black SUV by law enforcement.
The University of Georgia athletic department did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment Sunday. The AJC also attempted to reach Bennett’s agent for comment.
Bennett is in Texas training for the 2023 NFL draft after completing one of the most accomplished careers in Georgia football history. He finished fourth in voting for the 2022 Heisman Trophy — presented annually to the top player in college football — while passing for 4,127 yards and 27 touchdowns during the Bulldogs’ 15-0 season.
In the 65-7 championship victory over TCU, Bennett had arguably the best game of his career with six touchdowns (four passing and two rushing). In 2021, he passed for nearly 3,000 yards and 29 touchdowns in leading Georgia to the national title — the first for the program in 41 years.
Bennett’s arrest is the third recent off-the-field tragedy/incident involving a player associated with the football program:
– Offensive lineman Devin Willock and football staff member Chandler LeCroy were killed in an auto crash Jan. 15, hours after the championship celebration in Athens.
- Rara Thomas, who joined the program in December as a transfer from Mississippi State, was arrested Jan. 23 on charges of false imprisonment and battery/family violence.
