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2014's opening-weekend game between Clemson and Georgia will be the teams' second meeting in as many years to feature multiple suspended or booted players. And this one will shatter the previous year's number (three).
Woe upon Georgia, which has just seen four players arrested for theft by deception, which will almost certainly endanger their status. And woe upon Clemson, which suspended four players of its own just weeks prior for team rules violations, including two starters.
Officially, Clemson is down those four [update: five] players for the Aug. 30 game, while the Dawgs are so far without only ex-safety Josh Harvey-Clemons [update: and four others] for the 2014 game. We'll update this throughout the offseason as circumstances change.
Here's a roundup of all such shenaniganry since last offseason, almost all of it minor violations like marijuana possession and breaking team rules.
Update: July 23
Breaking: Georgia dismisses DL Jonathan Taylor following arrest for felony aggravated assault after incident with girlfriend.
— Marc Weiszer (@marcweiszer) July 23, 2014
Update: June 3
The short but tumultuous Georgia football career of Tray Matthews has come to an end, according to the player himself. [...] In March Matthews was one of four players on charges related to double-dipping scholarship checks.
Update: May 13
Uriah LeMay, a redshirt freshman wide receiver from Charlotte, N.C., informed UGA on Tuesday of his intent to seek a transfer. That request was granted, and LeMay will leave Athens without ever having played for the Bulldogs. [...] LeMay leaves Athens with a legal matter pending. He was one of the four players charged with theft by deception.
Update: May 9
The Georgia secondary is losing one of its few bright spots from last season. Shaq Wiggins, who started eight games as a freshman and led the team with two interceptions, is transferring, UGA announced on Friday evening.
What about remaining players?
What about remaining players?
Update: April 14, 2014
Two days after snapping at coaches during the Clemson spring game, quarterback Chad Kelly is now no longer a member of the Tigers, Dabo Swinney has announced in a statement. The Clemson head coach said Kelly showed "a pattern of behavior that is not consistent with the values of our program."
March 18, 2014
Safety Tray Matthews was among four Georgia players that were arrested Monday evening and charged with multiple counts of theft by deception. Matthews was booked into the Clarke County Jail just after 9 p.m. on Monday and charged with three misdemeanor accounts.
Others arrested included wide receiver Uriah LeMay along with defensive lineman Jonathan Taylor and James DeLoach. All four players bonded out late Monday night and there has been no comment from school officials as of yet.
March 4, 2014
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney announced Tuesday that four players, including two returning starters, will be suspended for the team's season opener.
Returning starters Corey Crawford, a defensive end, and David Beasley, a guard, along with cornerback Garry Peters and tackle Shaq Anthony will miss the August 30 showdown at Georgia due to a team rules violation.
February 18, 2014
Georgia announced Tuesday that [Josh] Harvey-Clemons -- the team's third-leading tackler as a sophomore in 2013 and a former five-star recruit -- has been dismissed from the team for a violation of team rules. No other details were made available.
December 23, 2013
Georgia suspended cornerback Sheldon Dawson and safety Josh Harvey-Clemons from the Gator Bowl for an unspecified violation of team rules. This is the second time this season that Harvey-Clemons has been suspended -- he sat out the Bulldogs' season opener against Clemson because of an incident involving marijuana.
Also:
Christian LeMay was a highly recruited prospect when he committed to Georgia four years ago. But his career stalled even before he arrived on campus, and it now appears he will leave Georgia having just attempted two passes.
November 1, 2013
Georgia wide receiver Justin Scott-Wesley, who is out for the year due to a torn ACL, was arrested on marijuana-related charges Thursday afternoon, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was released after posting $4,000 in bond three hours later.
October 11, 2013
Clemson's thin wide receiver corps gets even thinner as it heads into battle against Boston College this week as promising redshirt freshman wideout Germone Hopper and sophomore DB Ronnie Geohaghan have been suspended by head coach Dabo Swinney, according to ESPN.com.
September 22, 2013
Sophomore [Clemson] offensive lineman Isaiah Battle will miss No. 3 Clemson's next game against Wake Forest after he was ejected for punching North Carolina State defensive back Jarvis Byrd last Thursday night.
August 31, 2013
Georgia kicker Marshall Morgan's suspension for an offseason arrest will carry through Saturday's South Carolina game, Bulldogs coach Mark Richt confirmed on his Monday night call-in radio show.
May 28, 2013
The Georgia Bulldogs will be without starting safety Josh Harvey-Clemons for their season opener against the Clemson Tigers. Harvey-Clemons and tight end Ty Flournoy-Smith were involved in an incident in which campus police found marijuana paraphernalia and signs of marijuana use in their dorm room. Flournoy-Smith is no longer with the football program, and will likely transfer.
February 24, 2013
Georgia tight end Ty Flournoy-Smith is free on bond after being arrested on a misdemeanor charge accusing him of lying about the theft of his textbooks.