ATLANTA — Two football players for the University of Georgia were jailed early Saturday morning on alcohol-related charges less than a week after an embarrassing drunken driving arrest prompted the university’s athletic director to resign.
Dontavius Jackson, listed as a sophomore tailback, and sophomore split end Tavarres King — a Habersham Central graduate and The Times’ Football Player of the Year in 2007 — were in a Chevrolet Avalanche stopped on a campus road just before 3 a.m., UGA Police Chief Jimmy Williamson said.
Jackson, 20, was charged with driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident and other motor vehicle offenses.
King, 19, was charged with underaged possession of alcohol as were two other passengers inside the Chevrolet. A fifth person was allowed to leave without being arrested.
“It was a bad decision,” King told The Times on Saturday. “In the future, I will put myself in a position to always win.”
Williamson said his officers started following the truck because it failed to move into the left lane while police were conducting an unrelated traffic stop on the same stretch of road. Soon, the police officer following the car heard a radio transmission saying that the Chevrolet was wanted for an earlier hit-and-run accident.
Jackson was being held in the Clarke County jail Saturday afternoon and did not return phone and e-mail messages. Officials at UGA’s athletic department did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
The arrests came less than a week after athletic director Damon Evans resigned following an arrest for drunken driving.
Dontavius Jackson, listed as a sophomore tailback, and sophomore split end Tavarres King — a Habersham Central graduate and The Times’ Football Player of the Year in 2007 — were in a Chevrolet Avalanche stopped on a campus road just before 3 a.m., UGA Police Chief Jimmy Williamson said.
Jackson, 20, was charged with driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident and other motor vehicle offenses.
King, 19, was charged with underaged possession of alcohol as were two other passengers inside the Chevrolet. A fifth person was allowed to leave without being arrested.
“It was a bad decision,” King told The Times on Saturday. “In the future, I will put myself in a position to always win.”
Williamson said his officers started following the truck because it failed to move into the left lane while police were conducting an unrelated traffic stop on the same stretch of road. Soon, the police officer following the car heard a radio transmission saying that the Chevrolet was wanted for an earlier hit-and-run accident.
Jackson was being held in the Clarke County jail Saturday afternoon and did not return phone and e-mail messages. Officials at UGA’s athletic department did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
The arrests came less than a week after athletic director Damon Evans resigned following an arrest for drunken driving.