Another University of Georgia athlete has been arrested for a driving infraction – but this time, it’s not a member of the football team.
The Georgia Bulldogs’ football program has gained notoriety for a string of driving related infractions and arrests – with at least 25 incidents occurring as of January 2023.
But on Wednesday, a member of the school’s basketball team was caught speeding in Oconee County – south of the UGA campus in Athens.
Police clocked a Tesla SUV driving 87mph in a 65mph zone on State Route 316.
After pulling the vehicle over, police questioned the driver and identified him as 18-year-old Kareem Stagg.
According to reports, Stagg said he did not have his license on him and that a paper copy was being mailed to him.
Georgia basketball’s Kareem Stagg was arrested for speeding and driving without a license
Stagg, a freshman at Georgia, averaged 4.8 points and 2.4 rebounds across all 33 games
Police then say Stagg gave a deputy a driver’s course certificate. When police ran the number on the certificate, they found the 18-year-old only had a learner’s permit.
When confronted by the officer, Stagg admitted that he ‘was aware he had a permit and needed a licensed driver over 21 with him.’
Officer then ordered Stagg to get out of the vehicle and arrested him.
According to jail records obtained by Daily Mail, Stagg was charged with speeding and misdemeanor driving without a valid license.
He was released after posting $1,245 bond. A date for a pretrial hearing has not been set.
A statement from UGA Athletics read, ‘We are aware of the charges and are actively gathering additional information. As this is an ongoing legal matter, we will not be providing further comment at this time.’
Stagg, a freshman on the UGA team, played in all 33 games for the Bulldogs this season and averaged 4.8 points, 2.4 rebounds 0.6 assists and 12.8 minutes of gametime.
The Chesapeake, Virginia native logged five points, four rebounds and an assist in eight-seed Georgia’s 102-77 loss to nine-seed Saint Louis in the opening round of March Madness.
Georgia has gained notoriety for driving arrests since the deaths of Devin Willock (L) and Chandler LeCroy (R) during a road racing incident after celebrating the 2022 national title
Future Philadelphia Eagles first-round pick Jalen Carter was a part of that road race
Between January 2023 and July 2024, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution revealed that players within the Georgia football program were involved in 24 driving-related incidents.
Multiple arrests for reckless driving by members of the football team have happened since the publishing of that report – including one in the middle of last season.
The Georgia football program has gained notoriety for these reckless driving incidents ever since the deaths of lineman Devin Willock and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy the night after the Bulldogs were celebrating winning the national championship for the 2022 season.
Those deaths stemmed from a road racing incident that also involved future Philadelphia Eagles first-round pick and Super Bowl champion Jalen Carter.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has previously maintained that he and his colleagues are working to solve this problem, but last year rejected the idea that different team policies could have prevented the fatalities.
‘No policy or lack thereof policy caused this accident,’ Smart told the Banner-Herald in 2023 – in reaction to a different driving incident involving one of his players.
