Georgia announces punishment decision after two leading tacklers detained by police

Key Georgia defensive players escape suspension ahead of huge SEC showdown.

Georgia has decided not to suspend two of its top defensive players ahead of a big SEC East showdown with Florida Sunday, despite their involvement in an incident with police over the weekend.

Linebackers Natrez Patrick and Roquan Smith, the Bulldogs top two tacklers, were reportedly detained by police on the night of October 15 after the Vanderbilt game. Police were called to their on-campus apartment after a resident assistant complained of a marijuana smell. Patrick and Smith were detained as police searched their residence, but no drugs were found. However, marijuana paraphernalia was discovered and confiscated.

In a statement, UGA Athletic Director Greg McGarity explained the university's position on the matter.

"After receiving an incident report last week, we determined that neither Roquan Smith nor Natrez Patrick had violated any Athletic Association rules that would require suspension," McGarity said.  "This included drug testing, which was negative for both student-athletes."

Head coach Kirby Smart said he's glad the matter has been dealt with and the players can now move on to football without any further distractions.

RELATED:  These two schools recruited Will Grier the hardest

"We brought the matter to a conclusion today," Smart said. "I'm happy for these two young men. They get to move on to football and not have to deal with the distraction. I will say, on the field, these two young men have been exemplary leaders, especially for sophomores."

Patrick, who served a one-game suspension last season as a freshman for violating the NCAA's marijuana policy, leads the team with 42 tackles, while Smith is right behind him with 39.