Georgia Cuts Football Player Nyier Daniels After Police Chase, Arrest

University of Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart has dismissed offensive lineman Nyier Daniels after the redshirt freshman was arrested while allegedly fleeing police during a chase in Commerce, Georgia on Sunday, November 23.

Daniels, 19, faces more than a dozen criminal charges, including two felony counts of second-degree cruelty to children and two felony counts of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, according to a police incident report obtained by Us Weekly on Tuesday, November 25.

Daniels’ two younger siblings were in the car at the time of the chase, according to the report.

“[I] have not had a chance to talk to him or his family, but obviously he will no longer be with us,” Smart, 49, told reporters during a press conference on Monday, November 24.

The chase began Sunday morning when a Commerce police officer attempted to stop a grey Nissan Rogue, driven by Daniels’ mother, Brandi-Canada Green, for running a stop sign. At the same time, a white BMW, driven by Daniels, sped by the officer at 100 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone, according to the police report.

Canada-Green allegedly blocked another police car from joining the pursuit, and officers eventually lost sight of the vehicle, which reportedly reached 150 mph on U.S. Interstate 85.

When officers learned the driver was a Georgia football player, they contacted the Bulldogs’ coaching staff for help finding him.

“Coaching staff was able to assist me and was able to locate Nyier and his vehicle,” the report said. “Coaching Staff then brought Nyier and his vehicle to Commerce PD.”

An athletic department official then brought Daniels to Commerce where he later turned himself into police. An officer claimed he “immediately smelled the odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle” when Daniels stepped out of his BMW.

“We are aware of the charges and are currently in the process of gathering additional information,” UGA spokesperson Steven Drummond said in a statement after the arrest. “This is a pending legal matter, and we will not have further comment at this time.”

Daniels allegedly told police that he was trying to keep his mother from getting a ticket. When an officer tried to explain to him the severity of his actions and how he endangered his siblings, he allegedly replied, “Y’all can’t drive.”

When the officer told him that he and his mother were going to jail, he allegedly said, “It has been worse.”

“Nyier seemed not to care about the situation that he had put himself in or the fact that he endangered the lives of his 2 younger siblings,” the report said.

Us has reached out to Daniels for comment.

Daniels was held on $21,000 bond. Green, who was charged with one felony count of attempting to elude a police officer and five misdemeanors, was held on $11,000, according to the Associated Press.

Originally a four-star recruit from New Jersey, the reserve lineman had appeared in three games for the Bulldogs this season. Georgia is 10-1 and concludes the regular season on Friday, November 28 at home against Georgia Tech.