Cue up the Louisville jokes, because Georgia has dismissed yet another defensive back.
This time around it’s freshman defensive back Shaquille Jones, who had to set some sort of record in moving from penthouse to doghouse. The Palm Bay, Fla., native was arrested and charged with shoplifting at 4:53 p.m. on Sunday and kicked off the team 90 minutes later, according to the Macon (Ga.) Telegraph.
“We have certain expectations and standards that we require of all our players,” Mark Richt said in a statement. “When those expectations and standards are not met, the opportunity to be a part of our program is sacrificed.”
Jones had yet to appear in a game this season.
Jones marks the fourth Georgia defensive back to receive the boot from Richt’s righteous right foot. Safety Josh Harvey-Clemons and cornerback Shaq Wiggins were kicked off the team and landed at Louisville, while safety Tray Matthews moved across state lines to Auburn.
As if that was not enough, Jones is the third defensive back the Bulldogs have lost this week. Sheldon Dawson received his walking papers on Monday, and Rico Johnson was given a medical disqualification due to a spinal cord condition. The dismissal leaves Georgia with 10 scholarship defensive backs.
Beyond the latest version of jokes replacing the “Mark Richt has lost control of...” meme, connecting Jones with Louisville actually makes sense this time. He was actually committed to Louisville before switching to Georgia leading up to National Signing Day.
(Photo credit: Georgia athletics)