ATHENS, Ga. – Georgia football transfer Rodarius “Rara” Thomas was arrested for slamming the door to a campus dorm room and injuring a 17-year-old girl during an argument, a police report says.
The incident led to a felony charge of false imprisonment against 20-year-old Thomas, who recently moved to Georgia from Mississippi State.
He was one of the State’s leading receivers and was expected to play a prominent role in Georgia’s offense as the team went for its third straight national title.
Thomas was also charged with misdemeanor battery/family violence for allegedly breaking the girl’s bicep and causing scratches on her shins, according to a police report obtained Tuesday by the Athens Banner-Herald.
The girl told campus officials that she and Thomas lived together in Mississippi and Alabama, and that they planned to live together in an apartment in Athens.
Thomas was released on $1,850 bond Monday, about eight hours after his arrest. He denied wrongdoing in a post to his personal Facebook page.
“You know I’m not that type of person,” Thomas wrote. “I know better than my mother taught me well! I will never put my hands on a woman!!”
According to the police report, Thomas and the girl were arguing about an unknown man she was following on social media. She said she wanted to leave, but Thomas stopped the door and told her she couldn’t. He also prevented her from contacting her mother, the report said.
That’s when the argument turned physical, she told police. Thomas grabbed his right arm, squeezing his biceps, before she started scratching, kicking and punching Thomas to get him off.
She said Thomas pushed her and she “fell face first into the bed leaving bruises and scratches on her shins.” When she tried to get up, he pushed her again, causing her to fall back first on the bed, causing a scratch on the side of her left leg.
Thomas gave another version to the police, saying that the girl started “choking” and hitting him and wouldn’t let him go. He told police he “gently laid her on the bed while she beat him,” and advised her to calm down before he went to talk to a friend on the phone.
Thomas remains a member of the Georgia football program, but could face discipline that includes a suspension.
“While we are limited in what we can say about the incident, the report is disappointing and does not reflect the high standards we hold for our student-athletes on and off the field,” the athletic department said in a statement released Monday.
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