Georgia football is heading into the College Football Playoff with momentum and pressure, and now, an uncomfortable distraction. Coach Kirby Smart addressed the shoplifting arrests of two freshman players for the first time, calling their actions disappointing while stressing accountability inside the program.
At a news conference days after Georgia secured the No. 3 seed in the expanded playoff, Smart faced questions that had nothing to do with matchups or depth charts. Instead, the focus turned to a police report, a Walmart receipt, and the kind of mistake that coaches dread most.
A press conference shaped by success — and a sudden reality check
Smart spoke publicly on the issue during his first media appearance since Georgia locked in its playoff spot. The timing was awkward, honestly. One moment, the Bulldogs are being discussed as a title threat. The next, the conversation veers into misdemeanor charges and poor judgment.
The two players involved, starting guard Dontrell Glover and running back Bo Walker, were arrested on Dec. 12 after police said they shoplifted items worth about $100 from an eastside Walmart in Athens.
Smart didn’t dodge the question.
“Disappointed in their decision making,” he said, adding that decision-making itself is a skill. He repeated the phrase, almost like a teaching point, and made it clear the players are already facing consequences, with more still to come.
What police say happened inside the store
According to an incident report from the Athens-Clarke County Police, officers responded after store staff flagged the unpaid merchandise.
Police said the players left the checkout area with 13 items that had not been scanned or paid for. The list wasn’t flashy or expensive, which made the situation feel even more surreal.
The items included:
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Febreze plug-in air fresheners
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Pizza rolls
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Paper towels
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Bottles of Gatorade
Together, the total value came to roughly $100.
In statements to police, the players said they “must have lost track” of what had been scanned between the two of them. That explanation appears in the report, though it did little to change the outcome.
Both were charged with misdemeanor theft by shoplifting.
Accountability inside a program built on discipline
For Smart, the issue cuts deeper than a police report. Georgia football has spent years building a reputation around structure, discipline, and internal standards that are supposed to travel with players everywhere, locker room or not.
Smart leaned into that point.
“They made poor decisions and paid a consequence for that,” he said. “They will continue to pay a consequence for that.”
One sentence stood out because it carried weight beyond the moment: decision making is a skill.
It’s a phrase coaches love, sure, but here it landed differently. These are freshmen. New to campus. New to expectations. And now, learning the hard way that small choices can blow up fast.
The program has not publicly detailed the internal discipline handed down, but Smart made it clear this wasn’t being brushed aside.
Legal timeline and what comes next
The legal process is still moving, slowly, as it usually does.
Glover and Walker are scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 2, according to records tied to the case. That date lands well after Georgia’s playoff push, which adds another layer of separation between football consequences and legal ones.
Here’s a quick snapshot of where things stand:
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Date of arrest | Dec. 12, 2025 |
| Charges | Misdemeanor theft by shoplifting |
| Items involved | 13 household and food products |
| Estimated value | About $100 |
| Court date | Feb. 2, 2026 |
For now, neither player has been ruled out of team activities publicly, though Smart declined to go into specifics.
A familiar storyline for a program under scrutiny
This isn’t the first time Georgia football has dealt with off-field issues under Smart, and it likely won’t be the last. Big programs attract attention, and mistakes by players tend to echo louder when championship hopes are on the line.
What made this case stand out was how ordinary it felt.
No luxury items. No elaborate scheme. Just a routine shopping trip that went wrong and ended with flashing lights and paperwork.
That ordinariness is part of what frustrates coaches. These are avoidable situations, the kind that don’t require talent or preparation to get right, just awareness and restraint.
Smart’s message was clear, even if his tone stayed calm.
