5-star recruit Darnell Salomon pleads guilty in UGA dorm burglary
Nearly a year after he was accused of stealing from a University of Georgia dorm room, Darnell Salomon pled guilty to first-degree burglary in Athens, Ga., court late last week.
Salomon, a five-star wide receiver from Miami in the class of 2016, had been accused of taking an iPhone and a “wallet containing cash and credit cards” from an unlocked UGA dorm room last July. Salomon was visiting campus as part of the Bulldogs’ “Dawg Night” prospect camp.
According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Salomon was “sentenced to perform 320 hours of community service, to pay restitution of $400 to replace an iPhone and its case, to undergo a substance abuse evaluation, and given five years of probation.” Additionally, Salomon “was barred from the Athens area, including the UGA campus, except for court purposes” or if he “played for another team that came to Sanford Stadium.”
Salomon told UGASports.com earlier in the month that he sent Georgia head coach Mark Richt an apology letter “about how sorry I was and how I showed bad character.” Freddrell Green, Salomon’s attorney, did not say if Richt was still recruiting Salomon.
From the AJC:
The ruling means Salomon is prohibited from visiting Athens. He is only allowed to return to the area to complete his community service hours. The judge did allow an exception for football games. If Salomon played for another team that came to Sanford Stadium, he would be allowed to do that.
Salomon’s attorney Freddrell Green was not able to confirm or deny if UGA was still recruiting his client. He did advise that he felt the ruling did not limit his client from accepting a scholarship offer and playing for UGA — which contradicts other reports.
Green also told the AJC he believes the burglary was “an isolated incident.”
“This is not indicative of the character of this young man and his reputation for community service,” Green said. “His record for academic achievement and athletic achievement is exemplary in his community. I feel very confident he is going to learn from this experience and will be a better man as a result of it.”
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Salomon is rated by Rivals as the second-best receiver in the country and the third-best prospect from Florida in his class. Overall, he is rated No. 16 overall in his class and has offers from schools like Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and USC, among many others.
- - - - - - -
Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
