CLARK COUNTY, GEORGIA: Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, a Georgia football defensive lineman, was cited for speeding on Monday morning and arrested later that afternoon on a warrant for failing to appear for a previous violation of parking in a handicapped zone. According to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, as reported by New York Post, Ingram-Dawkins was flagged for allegedly going 90 mph in a 70 mph zone at 9.34 am on I-85 in Clark County, Georgia.
He was booked at 4.05 pm at the Clark County jail and released on bond after less than an hour. He had failed to appear in court on July 11 for a citation he received in 2022 for parking in a handicapped zone, which also resulted in a $200 fine for contempt.
Who is Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins?
Ingram-Dawkins is a redshirt sophomore who plays as a reserve lineman for the Georgia Bulldogs. He played in 14 games last season, making 10 stops. His coach, Kirby Smart, has expressed his disappointment and frustration with the number of traffic violations by his players since the team won the national championship in January. Ingram-Dawkins is one of the many players on the team who have been involved in traffic violations since the national championship win in January. There are reports that over half a dozen players have traffic violations for reckless driving.
Other players involved in violations and DUI
Incoming freshman linebacker Samuel M’Pemba was cited earlier this month for allegedly going 88 miles per hour in a 55 mph zone. Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, a senior wide receiver, was charged with reckless driving and speeding by Athens-Clarke County police in May along with receiver De’Nylon Morrissette, who was hit with a DUI charge and driving too fast for conditions. During a January incident, linebacker Jamon Dumas Johnson was arrested for reckless driving. The most tragic incident occurred on Jan. 15, when offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy died in a fatal crash.
Smart has taken steps to educate and prevent his players from driving recklessly, such as bringing in police officers, setting up a self-reporting system, and denying monetary awards to “super speeders”. He believes they are doing more to prevent speeding than anyone in the country. “I’m not going to eradicate speeding,” Smart told ESPN, “but what’s going to happen to my program is every time somebody gets a speeding ticket, it’s going to be the front-page story. If they went and combed every SEC player and researched 'em for speeding tickets, they’d find a lot more of them.”
However, Smart also admitted that he was not confident that his players would heed his message. “I mean they’re in cars that are faster than they’ve been. They go, they get up and go faster than they ever have. I’m confident in the education that we’re doing,” Smart said.
Player’s Reaction
Redshirt junior center Sedrick Van Pran addressed the issues at SEC media day, stating the players are pushing each other to be more cautious and responsible. “We’re just letting down the university and the guys that have come before us, whether that be on the team or just successful people who come through the university,” Van Pran said before adding “So, it was more so understanding that you’re representing more than yourself and that it has to tighten up, it has to be fixed — like period," as reported by ESPN.
