Baker dismissed after arrest

Freshman linebacker Demetre Baker was dismissed from the Georgia football team on Sunday, shortly after his arrest in Athens for DUI and two other charges.

Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt announced the dismissal Sunday evening of Baker, a Florida native who had yet to play this season, and did not make the trip to Mississippi State.

“I’ll just say that Demetre was fully aware of the possible consequences that resulted from this kind of situation,” Richt said.

Baker was the 10th Bulldog football player arrested in 2010, and the third since August. Richt was asked if Baker's dismissal signaled a zero-tolerance policy.

“I think all of our guys understand that they need to behave. I’ll put it that way,” Richt said.

Richt said he had not personally spoken with university president Michael Adams, who said last week that every program had been "challenged" on the arrest issue.

"I think they’ll deal with it," Adams said on Sept. 18. "You’re dealing with 19-year-olds. We have more in the general student population than I would like. We’ve had too much in the football program. We expect coaches and the A.D.s to provide role models and leadership for their players. And I told the whole athletic association that.”