Details on Dowtin

There's been a bit of misinformation out there today about a story from earlier this year involving Marcus Dowtin, Georgia's junior linebacker, so hopefully this clears some of it up. Here are the pertinent facts:

- On May 29, Dowtin was involved in an altercation at a bar in Ocean City, Md. Dowtin is a native of suburban Maryland, about two-and-a-hours away, and Ocean City is a beach destination for many in that area.

According to an incident report provided by the Ocean City Police Department, Dowtin and some friends became involved in a scuffle with another set of friends, and the scuffle left a 21-year-old man unconscious and bleeding. After reviewing surveillance tape and talking to witnesses, the police determined Dowtin had hit the man. The man, interviewed later by police, was found to have a concussion.

Dowtin was interviewed at the scene, but was not taken into custody.

- On June 22, police issued a summons for Dowtin in regards to the case, charging him with second-degree assault. But he was never arrested.

On Dec. 21, the case was put in "stet," sort of a probation before judgment, and is now considered closed. UGA associate athletics director Claude Felton pointed out that the case was "investigated and resolved prior to the court hearing last month." According to police in Ocean City, the charge will likely be expunged from Dowtin's record if he's clean for a year.

- So Dowtin appears to be out of legal jeopardy. The question now is whether Georgia takes any action: Felton said head coach Mark Richt was not made aware of the incident until today.

Dowtin did not play in the Liberty Bowl, which was a bit of a surprise, but there's no indication it was related to the Ocean City incident.

Dowtin played in 11 games this year, starting twice, and had 57 tackles.