A ninth Bulldogs football player has been arrested during this off-season. This time, a freshman safety was arrested on Friday for theft by taking -- allegedly stealing a $35 helmet from another UGA student's scooter.

According to the police, a freshman student reported on June 15 that his helmet had been stolen from his scooter, which had been parked outside the Rankin Smith Center. The helmet, which was red with gray skulls on each side linked by a graphic of a chain around the back of the helmet, had been left on the scooter unsecured.

On September 2, the helmet was discovered in the possession of the UGA football player. He was arrested for theft on Friday, September 3. The young man was booked into the Athens-Clarke County jail and released later that day on a $1,500 bond.

The young man was heavily recruited for Georgia's 2010 signing class. UGA coach March Richt has suspended him from Saturday's season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette, which the Bulldogs will play at Sanford Stadium.

"Certainly it's an unfortunate sequence of events." Richt said of the theft arrest. "I'm disappointed in the situation and will continue to gather information as the case is processed through the proper legal channels. In the meantime, [he] is still responsible for a poor decision and will serve a minimum one game suspension as a result."

Source:

"UGA police issue warrant for arrest of Bulldog freshman safety Ogletree" (The Red and Black, September 3, 2010)