Pretend for a moment and for most readers, this will be a fantastical leap, I know but pretend for a moment that you're one of the top up-and-coming football recruits in the country. You've already received offers from nearly every major school in the region before the end of your junior year in high school, and a few from farther away. You've already watched several high-profile teammates go through the recruiting process and sign with big schools. Really, how many ways are there for you to actively screw this up?
Of course, there's always the grades. That's so cliché, though, isn't it? Anybody can flunk a few tests. No, Georgia cornerback recruit Deion Bonner set the bar just a little higher, according to campus police, who have charged Bonner with stealing right out of would-be future teammates' lockers during an unofficial recruiting trip:
Three suspects have been arrested in the Georgia locker room thefts, at least one of whom has been identified as a major football recruit.
Deion Bonner, Marquise Hawkins and an unidentified juvenile from Columbus were arrested by UGA police and charged with theft by taking over the weekend. They're accused of stealing iPods and iPhones from the unsecured lockers of seven football players on April 7 during an open-house event at Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall. The estimated value of the stolen items was $1,970.
Bonner was charged with one count of theft by taking, Hawkins was charged with two counts of theft by taking and the unidentified juvenile with three counts of theft by taking, according to Williamson. Bonner and Hawkins were booked at Athens-Clarke County jail a little after 9 a.m. Monday morning and have $1,500 bonds posted on each count.
