ATHENS, Ga. — Wide receiver Rara Thomas is no longer with the University of Georgia football team, coach Kirby Smart announced on Thursday.
11Alive's Reggie Chatman was in Athens for Smart's media availability. Reggie reports that Coach Smart began his press conference by announcing that he met with Thomas and told the wide receiver he will no longer be part of the team.
RELATED: Georgia wide receiver Rara Thomas suspended from team indefinitely following child cruelty arrest
Thomas' dismissal from the team follows on an arrest last week and what was initially an indefinite suspension. Thomas faces charges in an incident including second degree cruelty to children, a felony.
His full charges include one felony count of second-degree cruelty to children and two counts of misdemeanor battery-family violence.
Athens-Clarke County Police said they responded to the 300 block of Mill Creek Way regarding a domestic violence call around 1:35 a.m. Thomas was subsequently arrested by police, charged and booked into the Clarke County Jail.
Thomas was arrested once before, in early 2023, on a felony charge of false imprisonment and a misdemeanor charge of family violence. The felony charge was dismissed in that case as part of a pretrial diversion agreement.
"The felony charge was dismissed after review of the evidence determined that the evidence was insufficient to prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt, which is the standard for conviction for trial, unlike the probable cause standard used by law enforcement for arrest," District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez said in a statement at that time.
Thomas' arrest follows several others within the UGA football program, most of which have been related to driving offenses.
