ATHENS — After missing Georgia’s season opener against Clemson, then starting the past two games, running back Trevor Etienne opened up about his suspension earlier this week.
“It was a mistake. Move forward from it. I hope that we can all learn from it and move forward at the end of the day,” Etienne said.
Etienne was arrested in March for driving under the influence and reckless driving. In a July plea agreement, Etienne had the DUI charge dropped and pleaded no contest to a reckless driving charge and guilty to charges of underage possession of alcohol, failure to maintain lane and a window-tint violation.
Etienne, a junior transfer from Florida, said he wanted to be there for his teammates and help in any way he could during the Clemson game. Etienne declined to get into further details about the specifics of his punishment.
“I addressed the team. Use me as an example; it’s not worth it,” Etienne said. “It’s something you want to move forward from and keep putting our best foot forward and avoiding those situations.”
Etienne returned to play for the Bulldogs’ home opener against Tennessee Tech. He’s Georgia’s leading rusher, with 157 yards on 24 carries. He had 79 yards on 19 carries in last week’s win at Kentucky. Etienne topped 700 yards rushing in each of his two seasons at Florida, where he shared carried with Montrell Johnson.
Coach Kirby Smart pointed out Tuesday that Etienne is still playing himself into top shape. Etienne was dealing with a shoulder injury against Kentucky, though he brushed off any concerns related to the injury.
“Trevor was a vital component for our offense by stepping up and being there when we needed him the most, made big runs, had explosive plays,” outside linebacker Jalon Walker said. “That’s what he does in practice. Once you have great practices during the week, you should line yourself up for a successful game.”
Etienne is the oldest running back on the team and has impressed Smart with his willingness to be a vocal leader.
“Toughness, great leadership, competitor. Trevor’s one of the best guys,” Smart said. “I can’t imagine what kind of leader he would be if he’d been in the program the whole time because he’s not afraid to speak out and talk and speak up, and I respect that about him. Because he hasn’t had even a full year with these guys, but he’s not afraid to speak up and he’s a tremendous leader in toughness.”
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