BREAKING NEWS: Pittsburgh Steelers running back super star arrested, charged with DUI

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Trevor Etienne arrested, charged with DUI

The Florida transfer is in the middle of his first spring with the Bulldogs.

Steelers running back Trevor Etienne was arrested early Sunday morning by Athens-Clarke County police on four misdemeanor charges, including driving under the influence of alcohol. According to the Athens-Clarke County jail log, Etienne was booked at 4:35 a.m. on Sunday morning and released at 5:27 a.m.

Etienne was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving, failure to maintain lane/improper driving on road, and affixing materials that reduce the visibility of windows/windshield. Etienne’s bond was posted with a total bond amount of $1,883.

The 5-foot-9, 205-pound Etienne joined the Bulldogs this offseason after spending his first two seasons at Florida. Etienne took 131 carries for 753 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2023 as the Gators’ second-leading rusher, trailing only Montrell Johnson in terms of carries and yards. Etienne gained at least 5.0 yards per carry in eight games this season and posted at least 80 rushing yards in three of the Gators’ final four games.

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A former three-star prospect from Jennings, Louisiana, Etienne made an impression during his freshman season at Florida. Etienne took 118 carries for 719 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2022 and eclipsed the 100-yard mark against South Carolina and Florida State. He took 8 carries for 100 yards and 1 touchdown in the Gators’ 38-6 victory over the Gamecocks and 17 carries for 129 yards and 1 touchdown in the Gators’ 31-24 loss to the No. 11 Seminoles.

In 24 games as a Gator, Etienne took 249 carries for 1,472 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also caught 30 passes for 238 yards and another score. 

Etienne is expected to be the Bulldogs’ starting running back this fall. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart spoke last week about Etienne’s adjustment to playing at Georgia.

“I think running back is one of the positions that you can pick up really quick. There’s some similarities between our offense and theirs, a lot of the same runs, a lot of the same words in some cases. He’s not struggling to transition that part,” Smart said last Tuesday. “I think getting comfortable in the offense, there’s nuances. I’ve met with him about differences in the way we do things and the way they do things offensively that he’s picking up on. He’s very bright. Not going to be a problem for him.”

Georgia made a significant change to its coaching staff in mid-January when it announced that Will Muschamp was leaving the on-field coaching staff and Travaris Robinson was coming from Alabama to fill his spot. A little over two months later, Kirby Smart explained why Muschamp made his move and what the Bulldogs are getting in his replacement.

Smart said on Tuesday that Muschamp had met with him and emphasized the importance of playing a part in the life of his son Whit, who is a freshman at Vanderbilt. Muschamp had been afforded the opportunity to spend time with his older son Jackson while Jackson was a walk-on quarterback for the Bulldogs, but Muschamp recognized he needed to make a change with his youngest son now off to college. 

“He spent a lot of time around young men in this profession, and he’s developed a lot of really good football players. He’s shaped a lot of boys into men. He’s got a lot of great relationships from the places he’s coached,” Smart said. “He spent a lot of time developing those kids, and he wants to be able to see his son. He wants to be able to watch his son develop and play. He got to see that firsthand with Jackson here who did a tremendous job for us. Every day Coach Muschamp got to go on the practice field and be with his son. 

“I can only imagine what that felt like for him and the satisfaction of seeing his son each day. Now he’s got Whit, who’s got an opportunity to go to Vanderbilt and play. He wants to be a factor in his life and be with him. That was a really easy transition. I thought he handled it very well. He communicated very well with me.”

Muschamp is still at Georgia as a defensive analyst, and it’s been easy to spot him during the two media viewing periods that the Bulldogs have had this spring. While Muschamp is still around, his workload is considerably lighter compared to before, which will allow him to spend more time with his son as he prepares to begin his collegiate career.

Muschamp’s decision to no longer serve as the Bulldogs’ co-defensive coordinator meant Smart needed to find a replacement. To do so, Smart hired someone who was previously Muschamp’s right-hand man.

Smart convinced Robinson to leave his role as Alabama cornerbacks coach and join the Bulldogs as co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach. Smart’s hire was lauded from the jump, and the early indications are that Robinson has done an excellent job in replacing his former mentor. 

“Our ability to hire T-Rob was tremendous. He’s got tons of value in our SEC footprint. Recruiting value, football knowledge, leader of men. Anywhere he’s coached, his players really, really trust him and enjoy him,” Smart said. “He’s been nothing but an asset for us in terms of knowledge but also in terms of relationships. We’ll get a great benefit from T-Rob coming, and we’ll get a huge benefit from Coach Muschamp remaining part of our program to help us.”