Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl winner Nolan Smith Jr. was arrested in Georgia after an alleged 137mph drive in a 70mph zone, made bond and was released soon after. The incident also reignited online chatter after fans briefly mistook his mugshot for AI.
Nolan Smith Jr. didn’t just break a speed limit—he ignited a new wave of shock across social media in the space of a few days. The Philadelphia Eagles linebacker. a Georgia native who won back-to-back national titles with the Bulldogs. was arrested last week on charges of speeding and reckless driving in Georgia. after an allegation that he was caught driving 137mph in a 70mph zone.
The incident is said to have happened along an interstate at 10:41pm on Friday, May 15. Smith, 25, was jailed by the Twiggs County Sheriff’s office, but he made bond and was quickly released not long after the arrest.
When reports first surfaced about Smith’s arrest, fans flooded social media claiming they thought his mugshot was AI. The image was later confirmed as real on Wednesday night, first by The Georgia Gazette.
Smith’s rise has been rapid and decorated. A first-round pick by the Eagles in the 2023 NFL Draft. he played for the Georgia Bulldogs throughout his college career and won two national championships in 2021 and 2022. Across his first three seasons in Philadelphia, he has played 45 games and recorded 10.5 sacks. At the end of the 2024 season. he helped the Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
For Georgia fans, though, the headlines don’t land in isolation. Smith’s arrest is the latest driving controversy linked to the Bulldogs program. which has seen multiple incidents involving stars driving at excessive speeds in recent years. Since winning national titles at the end of the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Bulldogs players have been arrested no fewer than 30 times. according to USA Today. The situation was at its worst between January 2023 and July 2024. when the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Georgia players were involved in 24 driving-related incidents.
The darkest moment in that broader story came in January 2023. when offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy were killed in a road-racing crash. LeCroy had allegedly been racing future Philadelphia Eagles star and Super Bowl champion Jalen Carter in the moments before the crash. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has said previously that he and his staff were working to address the issue. but last year rejected the idea that different team policies could have prevented the fatalities. “No policy or lack thereof policy caused this accident,” Smart told the Banner-Herald in 2023.
The pattern of recent incidents hasn’t stayed confined to the past. Earlier this month. Ja’Marley Riddle—a transfer from East Carolina—was spotted by an undercover officer driving his red Dodge Durango at a high rate of speed. according to an incident report first published by Brunswick. Georgia’s WGIG FM. The report said Riddle was weaving in and out of traffic at a high rate of speed (around 95 miles per hour). creating a hazard to pedestrians. He was pulled over on I-95 in Brunswick.
When Riddle spoke with Glynn County Police, officers said he seemed nervous and noted the smell of marijuana. Police say he politely agreed to let them search his vehicle. where they discovered packaging containing both marijuana and THC vapes. He was arrested without any resistance. Riddle now faces felony drug charges and a speeding misdemeanor. and was expected to compete for a starting job in the Bulldogs secondary after recording three interceptions as both a freshman and sophomore at East Carolina. The 19-year-old has reportedly been limited in spring practices due to a leg injury.
Georgia spokespeople said in a statement that they are aware of the charges and are actively gathering additional information. “As this is an ongoing legal matter, we will not be providing further comment at this time.”
Back in Philadelphia. the immediate question now is what this arrest means for Smith’s offseason and his status moving forward. For Georgia. the question feels bigger—and heavier—because Smith’s name lands on top of a timeline of driving incidents that has already carried real consequences. including deaths.
Nolan Smith Jr. Philadelphia Eagles Twiggs County Sheriff’s office Georgia Bulldogs 137mph 70mph zone speeding and reckless driving mugshot AI Kirby Smart Ja’Marley Riddle Devin Willock Chandler LeCroy
137 in a 70 is insane.
So they just let him go after bond? That seems kinda wild. Also I thought the mugshot was AI too, not gonna lie.
Wait is this the dude who played for Georgia and then went to Philly right? Because if it’s “137mph” how did they even catch him if he was already on the interstate like at night? Idk it just feels like sports guys always get special treatment with bond.
Not surprised the Bulldogs pipeline is “controversy” too like speed stories keep popping up. People keep saying the mugshot was AI but then it’s “confirmed real”… like ok? Either way reckless driving is reckless driving. 137 in a 70 zone and he’s out soon after… wonder what the next step is, or if it just disappears.