Natrez Patrick will enter into a treatment facility following probation violation resolution

Georgia inside linebacker Natrez Patrick admitted he was in violation of his probation Thursday following two drug tests he took that resulted in a positive readings.

In lieu of 30 days of jail time, Patrick will enter into an inpatient drug rehabilitation program in Augusta, according to a probation revocation document. He must complete the program and may not leave the facility against medical advice. The document states that Patrick must "comply with all aftercare recommendations" following the completion of the inpatient program.

As a result, Patrick will not play in the Rose Bowl, his attorney William Healan III confirmed. He is expected to remain with the team moving forward.

Patrick's positive drug test and probation violation resolution came after he was arrested for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana late on Dec. 2. The arrest came only a matter of hours after Georgia's SEC Championship win over Auburn, when he and teammate Jayson Stanley were driving westward on Ga. 316. Although Stanley admitted to possessing the marijuana found in the car, Patrick was also arrested.

Since none of the marijuana was on Patrick's person, the possession charge was ultimately dropped. Healan III said that his client tested negative in a UGA-administered drug test following the arrest. A subsequent test by Athens-Clarke County, due to his probation for being caught in possession of marijuana in October, turned up positive, triggering the violation.

As for Athens-Clarke County's reasoning for Patrick's probation violation, the document states he tested positive for marijuana on Dec. 6, and that he tested positive for alcohol and opiates on Dec. 19.

“Due to confidentiality requirements, we can’t comment, other than to say we continue to follow policies, and we have no higher priority than the well-being of our student-athletes,” Georgia director of sports medicine Ron Courson said in a statement.

Patrick's arrest on Dec. 2 was his third, with all involving marijuana, since arriving to Georgia in 2015. Patrick was first arrested on a possession charge when he and former teammate Chauncey Rivers were caught smoking marijuana in a campus parking deck. Later that year, Patrick was in a vehicle with Rivers that was pulled over and searched. Rivers was found to be in possession of marijuana and arrested, while Patrick wasn't taken into custody.

Patrick was also involved in an investigation at his dorm room involving the possession of marijuana but was cleared.

Therefore, his third arrest was actually the fifth time he has been involved in a marijuana-related incident.

This story was originally published December 21, 2017 at 5:37 PM with the headline "Natrez Patrick will enter into a treatment facility following probation violation resolution."