"I spoke to Derrick Saturday and have made the decision to dismiss him
from the team," Richt said in a statement released by the school. "The
decision was based not only on the incident which occurred Friday, but
also on a past history of behavior that does not represent our program
in the proper way.
"I will meet with Derrick in person in the next couple of days and work
with him on where he goes from here along with providing any assistance
we can in his transition."
Unlike in Johnson’s case, Richt left no hope for Derrick White to return to the
team. The senior was already on thin ice with the team. He had been
suspended for the first two games of 2005 after an arrest in downtown
Athens for disorderly conduct. At the time of that arrest, White already
was in trouble with the team, Richt said.
After learning of White’s most recent arrest, Richt informed him over
the telephone that he was no longer welcome on the team. White was
arrested at 10:10 p.m. Friday after he ran into a road block on
Buffington Road in Union City, according to Union City officer George
Louth.
White, 22, was driving a 1998 Dodge Ram and turned around when he saw
the road block, which was set up to catch everything from seat belt
violations to DUI, Louth said. After seeing White turn around, an
officer pulled him over and smelled alcohol on his breath, Louth said.
White also had bloodshot eyes and was unsteady on his feet, according to
the incident report.
After refusing to take a field sobriety test, White was arrested and
given a breath test, on which he registered a blood alcohol level of
.143, Louth said. The legal limit in Georgia for 22-year-olds is .08.
“Other than the turning around, it was a normal DUI,” Louth said. “He
was fully cooperative with police, other than turning down the field
sobriety test, which is his right. He was not abusive to the officer.”
White was released from jail on $700 bond at 5:20 a.m. Saturday, Louth
said. His vehicle was turned over to a female passenger identified as
his girlfriend, Louth said.
His dismissal leaves the Bulldogs suddenly thin at linebacker. The
senior, who had 93 career tackles, was battling Brandon Miller for the
starting job at strongside linebacker.
With White and Johnson gone, the Bulldogs are suddenly thin at
linebacker. They now have Miller, Tony Taylor, Danny Verdun Wheeler,
Jarvis Jackson and Dannell Ellerbe available at the position.