After a dream start to his UGA football career, Bullard suddenly facing adversity

Javon Bullard had been living the dream in Athens.

Bullard, Baldwin High Class of 2021, saw plenty of playing time as a true freshman for the Georgia Bulldogs' 2021 national championship team, the program's first in more than 40 years. To the victors, of course, go the spoils (see the links below).

 Bullard, Dawg teammates get their championship rings

Mayor proclaims "Javon Bullard Day" in the city of Milledgeville

Bullard during the College Football Playoff semifinal game at the Capital Orange Bowl against Michigan at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Friday, Dec. 31 (Photo by Tony Walsh, UGA Sports Information Department)

Adversity in life is inevitable, however, and Bullard is now facing his. Bullard was arrested early Sunday morning following a traffic stop by the Athens Clarke County Police Department and charged with DUI and a myriad of traffic violations.

A reporter for the Athens-Banner-Herald viewed the incident report, which recorded Bullard's blood alcohol level at .143 and .148, which is approaching twice the legal limit of .08 in the state of Georgia. 

Bullard was arrested at 4:57 a.m. and bonded roughly three-and-a-half hours later.

The incident marked the first DUI arrest for a UGA football player since 2019. It's not immediately clear how many games Bullard will miss, and Head Coach Kirby Smart was non-committal when asked about the situation on Monday.

"Disappointed in Javon. Hate it for him. He's got a wonderful family but made poor decisions, and it will be dealt with internally," Smart said. "We have a process here we go through, and we have a committee he goes through. There’s still a lot in the air there.”

Bullard was elevated to the starting lineup to begin this season at the nickel back position in the defensive secondary, which Georgia refers to as its "star" position. Senior William Poole, who started at star during Georgia's 33-18 win over Alabama in the national championship game, recently announced that he was retiring from football and is no longer part of the team, leaving the top-ranked Dawgs suddenly thin at the position.

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