Ledbetter practicing but not ‘full-time’ with teammates yet

Georgia defensive lineman Jonathan Ledbetter has been participating in drills at practice but is yet to be considered full-go with his teammates.

On Aug. 6, Ledbetter participated in Georgia’s open practice at Sanford Stadium but mostly in conditioning work off to the side. He was seen doing drills Monday and Tuesday during the limited viewing period of practice but wasn’t present on Wednesday. It’s unknown how much he participated Thursday or Friday since those days were closed to the media.

Ledbetter’s limited participation has to do with continuing the requirements Georgia has set forth for him following his DUI arrest in July.

"He’s done well. He’s not full-time back with the team," head coach Kirby Smart said. "He’s got some things he’s still handling, and we’re still helping him. That’s a work in progress. Part of the agreement of him coming back to practice was that he had to continue to do a lot of the things he’s supposed to do."

Ledbetter was on track to be a starter before his arrest, which was his second of the year. The first arrest’s case, for underage consumption of alcohol, was ultimately dropped due to a technicality, which makes his suspension status unclear.

Smart has yet to announce how many games Ledbetter will be suspended. Ledbetter will definitely be suspended two games but could miss up to six if the first arrest counts against him, according to the university’s student-athlete handbook.

After his second arrest, Ledbetter admitted to a substance-abuse problem in a statement and has been receiving treatment for it since.

"He’s got to do some things first," Smart said. "That’s obviously the most important thing."

This story was originally published August 12, 2016 at 6:07 PM with the headline "Ledbetter practicing but not ‘full-time’ with teammates yet."