ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia sophomore wide receiver Nitro Tuggle and freshman offensive lineman Marques Easley were suspended indefinitely from all team activities on Thursday after Tuggle’s arrest on charges of speeding and reckless driving.
Athens-Clarke County Jail records show Tuggle was arrested early Thursday on misdemeanor charges of speeding and reckless driving. Tuggle was released after posting bond.
The Athens Banner-Herald reported Easley was involved in a vehicle crash on Monday night.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart has said he has struggled to find ways to convince his players to avoid speeding and reckless driving.
A crash killed a player and a recruiting staffer in January 2023, shortly after the team celebrated its second straight national championship. Offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy were killed in the crash that occurred while LeCroy and defensive tackle Jalen Carter were racing.
Running back Trevor Etienne missed last season’s opener against Clemson and cornerback Daniel Harris also was held out of a game last season following driving-related arrests.
Tuggle’s arrest is the first known driving incident involving a Georgia player that resulted in charges this season. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Easley’s crash is still being investigated.
Tuggle caught three passes for 34 yards in the 2024 season and was projected for a more prominent role in 2025.
In a two-sentence statement, Georgia said there would be no further comment on the suspensions.
There is a lot of runway left until April 17, the final day of the regular season, and we’ll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Points: 47 Regulation wins: 14 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 12 Points pace: 55.1 Next game: vs. TOR (Thursday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E
Note: An “x” means that the team has clinched a playoff berth. An “e” means that the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.
Dan Wetzel is a senior writer focused on investigative reporting, news analysis and feature storytelling.
Troy Taylor’s record in his first two years as the Stanford football coach includes six victories and two internal disciplinary investigations.
Oh, and 18 losses.
His future would be tenuous even if he hadn’t, per two separate Stanford investigations uncovered by ESPN, been accused of bullying and belittling female athletic staffers, seeking to have an NCAA compliance officer removed after she warned him of rules violations and repeatedly making “inappropriate” comments to another woman about her appearance.
Complaints about Taylor were enough for Stanford to twice hire outside investigative firms, both of which independently painted a picture of behavior ranging from “concerning” to “inappropriate,” according to documents obtained by ESPN’s Xuan Thai.
That included numerous clashes with the school’s compliance office and the attempted reassignment of duties for one staffer who raised concerns about NCAA violations pertaining to player eligibility and illegal practices. One of the law firms, experienced in these types of investigations, concluded it had never seen “this palpable level of animosity and disdain” to a compliance office.
After the first investigation, Taylor signed a “warning letter” in February 2024 acknowledging he could be fired if he didn’t behave better.
By summer he was under investigation again.
It’s somewhat of a mystery exactly why he remained on the job — this is Stanford, after all, or at least is supposed to be. The NCAA violations were fairly minor, but that’s all the more reason not to fight them. The attitude displayed to compliance is a red flag of its own. Again, Stanford.
Furthermore, multiple sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity told ESPN’s Thai that Taylor’s behavior extended beyond staffers and compliance officers to people within the coaching staff. One source said Taylor “has lost the locker room.”
Yet, Taylor is preparing for Year 3 on the Farm, one more — and presumably last — chance to win some games and reform his leadership style.
“I willingly complied with the investigations, accepted the recommendations that came out of them, and used them as a learning opportunity to grow in leadership and how I interact with others,” Taylor, 56, said in the statement to ESPN on Wednesday. “I look forward to continuing to work collaboratively and collegially with my colleagues so that we can achieve success for our football program together.”
Here’s hoping he’s successful in that endeavor, if only for everyone else’s sake. The task of leading Stanford as it transitions (and repeatedly travels) to the Atlantic Coast Conference is challenging enough without this behavior.
Taylor is dealing with another development, though, a new one that could be in play for a lot of schools in the future.
He isn’t the face of the program.
The team’s general manager, former Stanford and NFL great Andrew Luck, is.
Once upon a time, the head coach was the undeniable, and often indomitable, man in charge. Mostly, they still are.
It’s not just the Clemson Tigers, it’s Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers. Or Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs. Or so on and so on.
The coach runs everything and hires everyone. He sets the direction, makes the decisions and speaks for the entire operation. Win enough and a coach can quickly become more powerful than the supposed bosses — athletic directors — and even university presidents.
The firing of a coach causes a program to reset entirely. There’s a reason it’s called a “program” and not just a team. It’s why schools are often hesitant to make the move.
What now, though?
The role of general manager is a new one in college sports, a response to the changing ways rosters are constructed in this era of the transfer portal, revenue sharing and NIL payments. While athletic directors rarely have much stature with fans, prominent alums or big names lured from the pro ranks into a GM role could.
Luck certainly qualifies. He was a two-time Heisman runner-up for the Cardinal before becoming the No. 1 pick of the 2012 NFL draft and a four-time Pro Bowler in Indianapolis. He not only harks the program back to Stanford’s glory days under Jim Harbaugh and, later, David Shaw, but he has a reputation for intelligence, integrity and football acumen.
Understandably, Stanford leapt at the chance to bring him home last November. It hasn’t won more than four games since 2018. Luck is tasked with “overseeing the Cardinal Football program, including working with Coach Taylor on recruiting and roster management, and with athletics and university leadership on fundraising, alumni relations, sponsorships, student-athlete support, and stadium experience.”
Perhaps on some org chart somewhere, Luck isn’t the boss of all bosses. In reality, this is his program and Taylor will serve at his will.
A source with direct knowledge told ESPN’s Thai that Luck met with the team in Taylor’s presence on Thursday, and that Luck doubled down on standing by his coach.
Whatever Luck thinks of Taylor is unknown to fans and the public. He was on the committee that hired Taylor after a successful stint at FCS Sacramento State. He was just this week praising Taylor for his coaching skill during a Stanford pro day. However, he declined a chance to comment to ESPN on Taylor’s disciplinary file.
Did he know about it? What about the NCAA violations? What about any possible issues with the treatment of players? How much will all of this weigh on his evaluation of Taylor, who even if he was up for sainthood needs to start winning?
The questions go on. The answers, thus far, are nowhere to be found.
Right now, all of Stanford’s trust is in Luck, and for good reason. He has earned that. He has earned the chance to run this program through uncertain, even potentially dire, times in the ever-shifting landscape of college athletics.
It’s his program now, and that means Troy Taylor is his coach; everything reflecting back on not just the school but on the all-time great in charge via a new-age job.
There’s something for just about everyone on Saturday in the NHL, with 14 games being played throughout the day. The first puck drops at 1 p.m. ET, and the last opening faceoff is at 10:30 p.m. ET.
The Canucks dropped out of the second wild-card spot in the West with their loss Thursday to the Blues, but can jump right back over them (at least temporarily) with a win here. As for the Rangers, they are hoping to avoid being just the fourth team to miss the playoffs a season after winning the Presidents’ Trophy (joining the 2014-15 Bruins, 2007-08 Sabres and 1993-94 Rangers).
The playoff possibility train left the station long ago for the Flyers, but they’ll look to maintain a strong position in the draft lottery standings. The Stars open the day 10 points and three regulation wins behind the Jets for first place in the Central Division, with two games in hand. Winning games like this one is an important step in mounting a challenge for that division title.
It’s another spring outside the postseason for the Sabres, but maybe the never-ending rebuild will end next season? The Wild seem to be stuck in the first wild-card position in the West, four points behind the Avalanche for third in the Central, but six points ahead of the Blues. Can they still make a move?
As noted in this space on Thursday, the Blues have a very favorable strength of schedule down the stretch. That obviously includes this game, as Connor Bedard & Co. remain one of the NHL’s weakest clubs — though could be closer to contention than some think. Officially eliminated from playoff contention, the Blackhawks are just jockeying for lottery position now.
Can the Flames make it a clean sweep of all three NYC metro teams? They remain on the periphery of the Western wild-card race (thanks in large part to rookie goalie Dustin Wolf), and a win here helps that quest. As for the Isles, they’ve quietly crept back into the Eastern wild-card race, separated by just two points from the Canadiens, who currently hold the final spot.
It would take a monumental collapse for either of these teams to miss the playoffs. But each has faced its share of trouble getting back to the Stanley Cup Final in recent seasons. Nevertheless, wouldn’t this be a fun matchup in that series?
If the Panthers keep their streak of Stanley Cup Final appearances going this spring — and maybe win it again? — the dynasty debate will begin. They remain atop the Atlantic Division, and could be on a collision course with the likely Metro champ Capitals in the conference finals, with this game serving as a preview. And while Alex Ovechkin keeps chasing down Wayne Gretzky’s goal-scoring record, Washington is actually one of the more complete teams in the field, officially clinching a playoff berth Thursday.
New season, same game plan: Tampa Bay made wise additions at the trade deadline — this time, it was Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand — as they appear quite likely to continue their streak of playoff appearances. The UHC didn’t exist before this season, so wherever they finish this spring will start a new streak. They enter this game four points behind the Blues for the second Western wild card.
In recent seasons, it’s been expected that the Avs will make the postseason field. Despite some rough going early on this season, that outcome appears likely again for Nathan MacKinnon & Co. On the other hand, not many predicted that the Canadiens would be in possession of a wild-card spot this late in the season. Every point counts from here on out!
The last time the Senators made the playoffs they made it all the way to the conference finals. Were they to play a series against Saturday’s opponent, that’s the round in which it would happen. The Devils have been a bit wobbly of late — largely due to injuries to key players such as Jack Hughes, Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler — but have been gutting out enough victories to remain in the Metro’s No. 3 position. They hold an eight-point lead on the Islanders and Rangers ahead of this game.
If they had the power, the Predators would likely have pushed the reset button on this season quite a while ago. But while they continue to calculate their draft lottery odds, the Leafs are pushing to earn the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Division bracket. They enter this game tied in points with the Panthers, but one regulation win behind.
For a while there it looked like Dylan Larkin would parlay his strong play for the U.S. in the 4 Nations Face-Off into dragging his team into the postseason. The Red Wings have fallen off the pace a bit, but remain four points back of the Canadiens as play begins Saturday. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights are looking to increase their lead in the Pacific Division over the Oilers; currently, they hold an 88-85 points lead, and a 37-29 edge in regulation wins (with a game in hand).
Speaking of the Oilers, they have largely avoided the Stanley Cup runner-up hangover this season. Do they want another first-round matchup with the Kings — who they have beaten three straight years? Or will they catch the Knights and (likely) take on the Wild? As for Seattle, management can use this game as another measuring stick for who will (and won’t) be back next season as they continue to build a consistent contender.
There was a time where this game would have a major impact on the postseason races. Sadly for these clubs, those days are past. The Sharks were eliminated earlier this week, and the Bruins are hanging on to slim playoff hopes; they’ll need to catch fire and have five teams ahead of them hit the skids.
There is a lot of runway left until April 17, the final day of the regular season, and we’ll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Points: 45 Regulation wins: 13 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 13 Points pace: 53.5 Next game: vs. BOS (Saturday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E
Note: An “x” means that the team has clinched a playoff berth. An “e” means that the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.