Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett has done himself few favors leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft.
Shortly after the Bulldogs dominated TCU to win the National Championship Game, Bennett drew criticism for his behavior at the team’s parade. Less than two weeks later, he again caused a stir with the announcement that he planned to skip the Senior Bowl.
But both of those issues paled in comparison to what was to come.
In late January, Bennett was arrested in Dallas, Texas and charged with public intoxication. At the time of his arrest, the 25-year-old hid behind a wall in a futile attempt to evade the police.
On Friday, Bennett opened up about his arrest and some of his other missteps for the very first time.
“It was a mistake that everybody’s aware of,” Bennett said, via Pro Football Talk. “I understand why that can’t happen. I’ve talked to coaches about it, talked to GM’s. 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 are going to know about it]. Even without all this, I’ve got an obligation. I’m the fourth [Stetson Bennett]. You can’t do that if your last name is Bennett. I know better.”
Bennett also said that his decision to skip the Senior Bowl came after discussions with those that are close to him. He wanted to play but instead decided that training for the NFL Combine was more important.
Ultimately, Bennett views himself as a guy who doesn’t make waves and simply loves the game of football. He doesn’t want his recent mistakes to define him and has expressed as much to those around the NFL.
“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,” Bennett said. “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.”
We’ll soon see if Bennett taking ownership of his poor decisions is enough for NFL teams to overlook his arrest and invest heavily in the young quarterback.
