Georgia DL Jonathan Ledbetter will remain on team after recent arrest (Update)

Update: Monday, July 11 – 10:40 a.m. ET

Georgia has released statements from both head coach Kirby Smart and defensive lineman Jonathan Ledbetter following Ledbetter’s weekend DUI arrest – his second alcohol-related incident since March. The coach said Ledbetter will remain on the team but will be subject to discipline along with an “intensified education, counseling, and medical assistance program.”

“Certainly we are disappointed and recognize he has a serious problem,” Smart said in a statement. “We have provided help for him previously and we are committed to providing whatever assistance is necessary for Jonathan that will contribute to immediate improvement but also ensure that his long-term well-being is secure.”

Added Ledbetter:

“First I want to apologize to my family, my teammates and coaches, the University and the Bulldog Nation. I have a problem and have received an incredible amount of support and treatment through the Athletic Department for the problem. For that I am thankful. I ask for everyone’s support as I continue to receive additional treatment for this disease and work toward a healthy life.”

Original story: Monday, July 11 – 10:10 a.m. ET

Details have emerged from the most recent arrest of Georgia defensive lineman Jonathan Ledbetter. They aren’t pretty.

According to the Athens Banner-Herald, police found the sophomore asleep at the wheel at a traffic light. Police were alerted to the situation after receiving a call about a running vehicle blocking traffic around 5:30 a.m. Sunday morning. Police said Ledbetter appeared to be sleeping and it took 20 minutes for him to respond.

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From the Banner-Herald:

Athens-Clarke County police responded to the scene at Barnett Shoals and Lexington Roads around 5:30 a.m in the latest incident. Police parked a car in front of Ledbetter’s “so that the white (Dodge Avenger) vehicle wouldn’t roll into oncoming traffic.” Police said Ledbetter appeared to be asleep but was “breathing and drooling.”

The vehicle was in drive and his foot slightly on the brake pedal. Ledbetter did not wake up after numerous knocks on the window, yelling out for him to wake up and shaking the car, according to the report.

Four officers total and EMS arrived on scene and attempted to wake Ledbetter up, even turning on a siren. After 20 minutes of being unable to get Ledbetter to respond, police eventually were able to open the door with a “lock jock.” Police after several more attempts woke up Ledbetter, who said he had not been sleeping.

After he was finally awoken by officers, Ledbetter admitted to drinking, but said he only had “two Bud Light Platinum’s” at a downtown Athens establishment around midnight. After complying with a field sobriety test, Ledbetter initially declined to submit to a breath test, but later consented.

From the Banner-Herald:

Police conducted a field sobriety test on Ledbetter and then asked him if he would be willing to take a breath test. He asked if he had passed the other.

“I explained to Mr. Ledbetter that I was asking him if he would submit to a breath test and that I needed a yes or no,” the report said. “He proceeded to explain that he knows what’s going on in the world now with cops shooting black people and he also said that he wanted to know if he passed the test or not so that he could take his boys home. There was no one in the car except for Mr. Ledbetter when I arrived on the scene. He also says he feels like this is a hate crime.”

Ledbetter told police he would submit to a breath test, but said he “plays football for UGA and that he does not need to get into any more trouble because he is going to get kicked off of the team and that he needs to provide for his mother and family.”

He then declined to take a breath test because “I know I’ve been drinking alcohol.” An officer instructed him to put his hands behind his back and Ledbetter decided to take the breath test. He registered a .131 and .138.

Ledbetter was subsequently arrested for DUI and underage possession of alcohol.

Sunday’s incident is Ledbetter’s second alcohol-related arrest this year. In March, Ledbetter was charged with underage possession of alcohol and false identification after trying to enter an Athens bar. Police described Ledbetter as “very inebriated,” but the charges were dropped because of police conduct. An arresting officer is said to have grabbed the license from Ledbetter’s wallet without speaking to the defensive lineman.

“It would have been a waste of court time to put that up,” said Athens-Clarke Solicitor General C.R. Chisholm, who watched video of the incident from the arresting officer’s body camera. “I know how these cases look. Sometimes folks will think, ‘Oh, well, he’s a football player, he’s getting a break.’ The fact is this is one where it was a set of facts and we were not going to be able to survive a motion to suppress.”

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After his March arrest, Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart announced a one-game suspension for Ledbetter. However, after the charges were dropped, Smart would not confirm if the suspension would be upheld. The program has yet to comment on Ledbetter’s most recent arrest, but Smart is scheduled to address the media at SEC Media Days on Tuesday.

Ledbetter registered four tackles in seven games as a true freshman for UGA in 2015.

For more Georgia news, visit UGASports.com.

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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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