Updated on Tuesday at 10:42 a.m.: On the second day of SEC Media Days, Georgia coach Kirby Smart said that Jonathan Ledbetter will face a suspension this season for his DUI, but did not specify the length of the suspension.
Kirby Smart said DL Jonathan Ledbetter, arrested for DUI Sunday, will face suspension this season, but didn't specify length of suspension
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) July 12, 2016
The Associated Press, however, added that Ledbetter would "be suspended at least two games under school policy." Georgia starts the season in Atlanta vs. North Carolina before playing Nicholls State from the FCS.
Updated on Monday at 11 a.m.: Both Georgia coach Kirby Smart and Jonathan Ledbetter have released statements regarding Ledbetter's arrest.
Smart: "Certainly we are disappointed and recognize he has a serious problem. 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."
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: Kirby Smart has yet to coach a game for Georgia, but he's had more than his fair share of off-field troubles to deal with since moving to Athens.
Georgia defensive lineman Jonathan Ledbetter was arrested Sunday morning and charged with DUI and underage possession of alcohol after being booked into Athens-Clarke County jail at 6:05 a.m. local time.
According to police, Ledbetter was found literally sleeping at the wheel of his car, which was still running, and blocking traffic at a stoplight. The police parked a car in front of Ledbetter's car to keep it from rolling into oncoming traffic because the car was still in drive with Ledbetter's foot resting on the brake. The police then spent 20 minutes trying to wake Ledbetter up -- including setting off their sirens -- before breaking into the car to wake him.
After finally waking Ledbetter, the player told police that he was home and that he'd had a couple of beers. Ledbetter then submitted to a breath test but told the police that he plays football for Georgia 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."
Ledbetter's blood-alcohol level was registered at both 0.131 and 0.138.
It's the second time Ledbetter has been arrested since March. It was then that Ledbetter was arrested on two misdemeanor charges of possessing or making a false ID and underage possession/furnishing alcohol after he tried to get into a club using the ID. Those charges against Ledbetter were eventually dropped, but Ledbetter was facing a one-game suspension per team policy following the arrest, though Smart would not confirm whether the sophomore would still be suspended after the charges were dropped.
Whether he would have been, you have to assume Ledbetter will be serving some kind of suspension now.
Ledbetter's latest arrest is the eighth time a Georgia player has been arrested since Smart took over for Mark Richt, though six of those arrests have included only three players: Ledbetter, Chad Clay and Chauncey Rivers. Clay and Rivers are no longer with the team.
Ledbetter was a highly ranked, four-star recruit in Georgia's 2015 class, per 247Sports, and he appeared in seven games, making four tackles as a freshman last season. He's expected to take on a larger role in 2016.