ATHENS – Chauncey Rivers is halfway toward getting himself back in good graces with Georgia’s football team.
The freshman defensive end from Stone Mountain on Wednesday entered a “conditional discharge plea” with Athens-Clarke County on a marijuana possession charge for which he was arrested in November. When Rivers completes 12 months of probation and 40 hours of community service, his record will be cleared, according to his attorney, Kim Stephens of Athens.
Stephens said Rivers has already undergone substance abuse counseling and treatment and has resolved his issues with UGA student affairs.
“He has taken care of things aggressively from my standpoint and handled them the right way,” Stephens said.
Rivers still has to resolve a second marijuana case against him. He was arrested a second time for marijuana possession in December.
“We’re letting that sit right now because there are some issues in it that may result in it being dismissed,” Stephens said. “There was no way to combine the two. But in the end I expect that case likely will be dismissed.”
UGA’s student-athlete conduct code requires him to be suspended a third of the season – or four games in football – for a second violation of the marijuana-use policy.
On Wednesday, new Georgia football coach Kirby Smart said that UGA’s drug and alcohol policy is “not on a level playing field” with other SEC programs, but that he has discussed that with UGA President Jere Morehead and Athletic Director Greg McGarity and agrees to abide by it.
Stephens said linebacker Natrez Patrick, a fellow freshman who was also arrested along with Rivers in November, entered pretrial diversion in December with similar requirements.
