Former Georgia player Mercer arrested

Former Georgia basketball player Mike Mercer was arrested in Tampa, Fla. early Saturday morning and charged with public consumption of alcohol, according to the Tampa Tribune’s web site.

Mercer transferred to South Florida after Georgia coach Dennis Felton dismissed him from the team for being a “disruption” in November.

According to the Tribune, Mercer was arrested by Hillsborough County Sheriff’s officers around 3 a.m. Saturday after an officer saw an open bottle of beer in his car. At the time, Mercer was parked in a grocery store lot.

USF coach Stan Heath issued a statement in which he said he was going to review the facts of the case, according to the Tribune.

Mercer, a 6-foot-4 guard, was one of the nation’s highest-rated point guards when he enrolled in Georgia out of South Gwinnett High School. He averaged 13.6 points as a freshman.