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Last summer, freshman safety Tray Matthews was considered a lock by Bulldog fans to be Georgia 's next defensive superstar. This summer, he's no longer even a part of the team.
Mark Richt announced Tuesday that the sophomore starter has been dismissed from the Bulldog roster. Matthews was one of four players arrested in March and charged with "theft by deception" after cashing their university stipend checks twice.
“We are trying to make room for guys who want to do things right,” Richt said in the announcement.
Approximately a half-hour before Richt's announcement, Matthews tweeted that he was gone and offered two eyebrow-raising possible destinations:
I'm sorry UGA family.I swear to God I love yal.I'm crying right now but I won't forget. Love the dawgs.Auburn or Louisville will be my home
— TriggaTray28-F$C (@Trigga_Tray28) June 3, 2014 Richt did not suspend Matthews from participating in spring practice, and just last week told the media he believed Matthews had reached a "turning point" with the team -- suggesting that another off-field incident may have played a role in his dismissal.
A former top-100 overall recruit, Matthews enrolled early and started six games as a freshman, making 36 tackles and one interception.
Former teammate and Louisville transfer Shaq Wiggins (and new teammate of the also-dismissed Josh Harvey-Clemons) indicated on Twitter that Matthews would join the two other ex-Bulldog defensive backs at Louisville before deleting the tweet. (He did retweet this, though.)