Georgia Bulldogs’ Smael Mondon charges reduced after traffic arrest
Smael Simon Mondon (Athens-Clarke County Sheriff's Office)
ATHENS, Ga. - Georgia Bulldogs' Smael Mondon has had his charges reduced following an arrest on July 10.
According to the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, the Paulding County High School graduate was behind the wheel of a 2022 Dodge Charger, which was clocked at 75 mph in a 40-mph zone. Police pulled him over and arrested him shortly after 10 p.m. along W. Broad Street and The Plaza.
On Monday, attorney William D. Healan, III, who represents Mondon, stated his client's charges were reduced to too fast for conditions, a non-reportable traffic offense. He pleaded guilty and paid a $500 fine. He will be required to go to defensive driving school and a victim impact panel, both of which Healan says he already completed.
Originally, he was charged with reckless driving and racing on highway/streets.
"Smael was not racing anyone, and he was not driving recklessly. We admit that he accelerated too quickly, which is the basis for driving too fast for conditions," Healan wrote in part.
He added that Mondon has never had so much as a traffic ticket prior to the incident.
Police said that another University of Georgia football player, 18-year-old Demello Jones, who was driving a Porsche Panamera, also stopped, but he was only cited because he stopped voluntarily.
The night before, UGA football redshirt freshman Johnathan "Bo" Le'Monte Hughley was charged with failure to maintain lane/improper driving and reckless driving. Hughley was also involved in a single-car crash.
Johnathan "Bo" Le'Monte Hughley (Athens-Clarke County Sheriff's Office)
Several arrests and driving-related citations have involved UGA football players and staff in recent years. On Jan. 15, 2023, just hours after celebrating their second consecutive national championship, football player Devin Willock and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy were killed in a car crash.
Following the tragedy, Coach Kirby Smart stated that players who are arrested face disciplinary actions, including suspension. He added that players had attended a session over the summer about various dangers, including street racing, speeding, alcohol consumption, and domestic violence.