Player reaction

Carlton Thomas, who moves up to No. 2 on the depth for the first game, said Washaun Ealey apologized to his fellow running backs.

“Me and him had a one-on-one talk, and he’s just sorry that it had to go down that way,” Thomas said. “I mean, I feel him, because it could’ve been anybody at that point in time. Things happen, and you just hope that it works for the best in his favor.”

Tight end Aron White was asked what the latest arrest does to the team's image.

“I think that it definitely tarnishes our image, but at the same time I don’t think that we have any bad seeds on this team," White said. "We just have guys that have made silly mistakes for the most part and done things that they knew better. I don’t think we have any guys that are just bad to the core, did things intentionally to hurt people or anything like that. We’ve got a good group of guys, we’ve got a lot of leadership, but for whatever reason some guys have made some mistake.

Star receiver A.J. Green said the off-field incidents are a “distraction sometimes” but the team would move on.

“Everybody just makes mistakes,” Green said. “We’re gonna live with it, get better. We’re gonna welcome him back when he gets back.”

(And incidentally, Green said he still doesn't have the go-ahead to talk about the NCAA inquiry, but he has no expectation of not being able to play in the opener.)