ATHENS – When the pain in his knee became too much, Justin Scott-Wesley walked away from football in 2015. And the UGA wide receiver left football all the way behind, graduating that December and embarking right away on a new career: The music business.
First, Scott-Wesley delved into the music part, recording his own songs. Since then he’s also embarked on the business part, and Saturday comes the latest foray.
The Grad Bash is billed by Scott-Wesley and his business partner, Kelsey Reddick, as being an end-of-the-year send-off for graduates, at UGA and other schools. It will be held Saturday at Athens Arena in Bogart, with doors opening at 10 p.m.
“This is just an event to give back to the student body. We felt like there aren’t a lot of events that just cater to celebrate just students. So we wanted to take this opportunity to make them feel special as they get ready to graduate.”
They’ve hired a guest D.J. from Detroit, DJ Bigg Bang. The music is “all-inclusive,” according to Scott-Wesley, including hip hop, pop, EBM (electronic body music), Carribean and African.
Tickets are $15 at the door, but you can buy them in advance for $5. There are 30 local businesses who have helped contribute to a gift basket that will be given out, Scott-Wesley said. And a local barbecue company will be there providing food.
“We want it to be the official farewell to the class of 2017,” Reddick said.
Scott-Wesley, a native of Camilla, was a speedy wide receiver who’s promising career was derailed by knee problems. He was off to a great start to his sophomore season in 2013 – 16 catches for 311 yards, including an 85-yard touchdown to ice a win over No. 6 South Carolina – when he tore his ACL covering a punt at Tennessee.
While he returned midway through the next season, he kept having trouble with the knee, and during the 2015 preseason finally decided to hang it up. He graduated that December with a degree in history, but remained in Athens as he pursued the next phase of his life.
“This is just another opportunity for me to venture into the music industry,” Scott-Wesley said. “Also, this is just a way of me giving back to the university, giving back to the student body, just giving people something to do. Good, clean entertainment, where you can just come to have fun and celebrate your graduation.”