This off-field incident could prove very costly for both the player and the football program.
The Macon Telegraph, among others, is reporting Friday morning that Natrez Patrick was arrested late Thursday night on a charge of possessing less than an ounce of marijuana. That charge is a misdemeanor. The linebacker was also cited for a parking violation.
In November of 2015, Patrick was arrested on a charge of misdemeanor marijuana possession and suspended. A year later, Patrick and a teammate, Roquan Smith, were investigated by police for alleged pot use although no charges were ever filed.
Because this is Patrick’s second drug-related arrest during his time at UGA, the university’s student-athlete code of conduct handbook calls for a four-game suspension that would begin immediately with this weekend’s game against Vanderbilt. He would then miss games additional games against Missouri, Florida and South Carolina before being eligible to return for the Nov. 11 game against Auburn.
As of this posting, the football program has yet to address Patrick’s status moving forward.
Patrick has started every game at outside linebacker for the Bulldogs this season. His 17 tackles are tied for third on the team.