Rara Thomas, a former Georgia receiver who was dismissed from the team following an arrest on two misdemeanor counts of battery (family violence) and one felony count of cruelty to children, has had his legal situation resolved.
Thomas had his felony charge and misdemeanor counts of battery dismissed. Thomas entered an Alford plea for two counts of misdemeanor disorderly conduct, according to Thomas’ attorney, Kim Stephens.
Thomas does face 24 months of probation, but an Alford plea allows people “to maintain their innocence but acknowledge that pleading guilty is in their best interest,” according to a definition by the U.S. Justice Department.
Thomas was arrested July 26. It was the second time in his Georgia career that he had been arrested on family violence charges. Those charges, which stem from a January 2023 arrest, were dropped as part of a pretrial diversion program.
Coach Kirby Smart announced Aug. 1 that Thomas had been dismissed from the team.
Thomas arrived at UGA via the transfer portal, as he spent his first two seasons at Mississippi State. In his lone season at Georgia, Thomas caught 23 passes for 383 yards and a touchdown.
Georgia led the country in drops last season and saw the offense regress from where it was when Thomas was available during the 2023 season. The Bulldogs were counting on Thomas after losing Brock Bowers, Ladd McConkey and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint to the NFL.
Georgia also saw wide receiver Colbie Young miss time during the 2024 season following an arrest. He missed the final nine games of the season as his legal situation played out. Young, who also was represented by Kim Stephens, ultimately pleaded no contest to a disorderly-conduct charge. Smart has announced that Young is fully able to return to competition with the team.
Thomas does have one season of eligibility remaining, though he will not be using it with Georgia. There is a spring portal window that is open from April 16- 25, though the SEC does not allow players to transfer within the conference at that point.
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