Cornelius Washington, starting outside linebacker for Georgia, was arrested over the weekend for DUI. He is a junior at the university who was perhaps celebrating his football team's win a little too much.
Georgia coach Mark Richt said Sunday that Washington will sit out for at least two of the the Bulldogs' upcoming games, because of the arrest. "It will be at least that," Coach Richt said. "He feels awful," Richt said. "He knows he let the team down, let his coaches down, let his family down, the Bulldog nation in general. He understands that there's going to be a price to be paid. He's going to take his punishment like a man and come back and finish strong for us. That's kind of his state of mind right now."
Washington was booked and released on a $3,500 bond. The driving under the influence was a misdemeanor charge. Washington is also charged with speeding as he was allegedly driving 92 mph in a 55-mph zone on U.S. Highway 441. In fact, speeding is why the police initially stopped Washington. Police stopped Washington's 2009 Dodge Journey at the corner of 441 and State Street. After Washinton was stopped, police were suspicious that he was driving drunk, so the initiated a DUI investigation. During the investigation, Washington allegedly failed the FSTs and registered a 0.12 on a preliminary breath test. Additionally, Washington admitted to drinking.
Washington was coming off his best game as a Bulldog, as he made two sacks in Georgia's 24-10 win against Mississippi State on Saturday. Washington leads the team with 3½ sacks and eight quarterback hurries and also has 4½ tackles for loss.
Georgia will miss Washington's pass rushing ability in their upcoming games. They will likely have to rely on freshman Ray Drew, one of the key signees in the Bulldogs' 2011 class of recruits.