Georgia Football: Isaiah Crowell's Arrest Won't Derail Bulldogs' Season

The saga of Georgia running back Isaiah Crowell may be coming to an end in Athens.

ESPN.com's Radi Nabulsi reported that Crowell was arrested early on Friday morning on felony charges of carrying a weapon in a school zone, having a weapon with an altered ID mark and misdemeanor charges of carrying a concealed weapon. His bond is set at a total of $7,500.

According to David Johnston of AM 960 The Ref in Athens, Crowell was stopped at a checkpoint and searched by police.

"

CMG Athens Tim Bryant says per ACC Police: road checkpoint, Crowell driving, ordered out after pol. smelled pot, found gun under car seat.

— David Johnston (@djohnstonuga) June 29, 2012"

Fletcher Page of DawgPost.com reported that several Georgia football players were in the car with Crowell, but were not charged.

"

Arrest report: Four #UGA players were in the car w/ Crowell: Josh Harvey-Clemons, Blake Tibbs, Quintavious Harrow & Sheldon Dawson.

— Fletcher Page (@FletcherPage) June 29, 2012"

With three weapons charges hanging over his head, two of which are felonies, Crowell has been suspended by Georgia, according to Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

"

#UGA TB Isaiah Crowell "immediately suspended" due to felony weapons arrest. bit.ly/LVlKoU

— AJC UGA (@ajcuga) June 29, 2012"

Crowell got in head coach Mark Richt's doghouse as a freshman in 2011. He suffered from nagging injuries and was suspended for one game for failing a drug test, according to the AJC.

How does this latest incident change Georgia's 2012 outlook?

Not much at all.

Georgia's running back corps was already a question mark because of Crowell's flaky track record, and his arrest doesn't change that.

When his head is in the game, Crowell is one of the SEC's top running backs. A freshman season with 185 carries, 850 yards and five touchdowns is going to be hard to replace, but Georgia is prepared to do so.

Crowell was bracketed with Ken Malcome as a co-No. 1 at running back on Georgia's recently released depth chart.

That job certainly appears to be Malcome's for now, but true freshmen Keith Marshall and Todd Gurley signed in the class of 2013 with the specific purpose of competing for the starting running back position. Marshall enrolled early to get a jump start and was rated as the No. 1 all-purpose back in the country last year, according to 247Sports.com.

Bottom line, there is now depth—albeit unproven depth—for Georgia to work with.

South Carolina is probably the most talented team in the SEC East, and if Crowell is not available, that becomes a certainty. Despite that, Georgia is going to be predicted to win the SEC East with or without him due to the fact that it misses Alabama and LSU out of the West.

The door is just a little bit more open now.

*Update*

Georgia announced Friday evening that Crowell as been dismissed from the team.

"We have a dedicated and committed group of men who are working hard to prepare for the coming season," Richt said in a statement released by the University of Georgia.  "Our total focus will be directed toward the team and this effort."

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