Georgia football: Stetson Bennett IV opens up about his arrest

Georgia star quarterback Stetson Bennett IV opens up about his arrest in Dallas late January.

Georgia legendary quarterback Stetson Bennett IV spoke about his Dallas arrest at the combine.

Bennett was arrested in the wee hours of Jan. 26 in Dallas for public intoxication. He was in the area preparing for the draft process. After loudly banging on doors at 6:00 a.m. CT, the two-time defending national champion tried to hide behind the wall from the cops before getting scooped up. It was not a good look for him, but sometimes you have to tell TCU fans what’s up at 6:00 a.m.

Bennett spoke publicly about his arrest while at the podium during the NFL combine on Friday.

“It was a mistake that everybody’s aware of. I understand why that can’t happen. I’ve talked to coaches about it, talked to GMs. I’ve apologized to my family. That’s who I felt worse about; I felt like I let them down, because no matter where I go now (people will know and talk about it). Even without all this, I’ve got an obligation. I’m (Stetson Bennett) the fourth. You can’t do that if you’re last name is Bennett. I know better.”

Bennett projects as a day-three pick, but can have success in the NFL as a backup or spot-starter.

Georgia: Stetson Bennett IV addresses his Dallas arrest while at the NFL combine

What made Bennett’s arrest so controversial is it occurred over the same weekend as the Senior Bowl in Mobile. People were wondering why Bennett skipped out on the Senior Bowl, but it seems as though he may have been a last-minute invite. His camp decided it was better for him to go train in Dallas, as he was not all that interested in playing in the Shrine Bowl to begin with.

“I never. . . It was more so [skipping] the Shrine Bowl. It wasn’t really the Senior Bowl. I really wanted to play in it. There was a lot going on at the moment. Discussed with people that were close to me, asked advice. Decided that I needed to go train. I needed to get better. I do wish that I could have but just ultimately decided the other was the better choice.”

Had Bennett gone to Mobile and dominated throughout the week, maybe some team would have taken a chance on him in the latter part of the third round in day two of the 2023 NFL Draft. Regardless, Bennett will get drafted at some point in day three. I have always seen him as Georgia’s better version of Ian Book, who was drafted by the New Orleans Saints coming out.

Overall, Bennett seems to have enough self-awareness to know that nothing will be given to him at the professional level and he probably has to go to the right spot to have success. His dual-threat playmaking abilities, on-field leadership, competitiveness and cool-under-pressure demeanor will be a huge boost to any team who drafts him to be part of their quarterback room.

“My job, my obligation is to the team that I’m drafted to, to be the best player for that (team), to learn to play football. At the end of the day, I’ve never been (one to make) waves or anything like that. I keep my head down. I play ball. Whatever’s asked of me is asked of me. My job when I get there, you’ve got to be the best player to play, and I know there’s more to that probably here, but at the end of the day, that’s all you can control, and that’s what I will do.”

Ultimately, there are several teams he would do very well with, most notably the Baltimore Ravens, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Rams. Bennett would reunite with his college offensive coordinator Todd Monken in Baltimore. Andy Reid gets the most out of his quarterbacks, as does Sean McVay. You could see him backing Patrick Mahomes in KC or Matthew Stafford in LA.

We cannot wait for the next chapter in The Legend of The Mailman to unfold before our very eyes.

 

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