With the annual inevitability of offseason suspensions, just who is in the penalty box at the beginning of the season can get blurry from year to year. No, Ellerbe isn’t suspended – that was last year. No, nothing has come out yet about Chandler’s fate.

The recent high-water mark for preseason suspensions was 2003 where eight players were sidelined for the Clemson game. That was also right in the middle of "Ring-gate" where a few players had caught trouble for selling their 2002 SEC Championship rings. Things aren’t quite to that level this season, but there are still some suspensions and additional possible suspensions to deal with. Some key positions (linebacker and offensive line in particular) have been hit especially hard by offseason events. If you see anything inaccurate or missing here, please leave a comment.

Long-term suspensions:

• Akeem Hebron. Hebron is technically suspended for the fall semester by the University and would not be eligible to play this season following two alcohol-related incidents. He has transfered to Georgia Military College for the 2007 season but could return to Georgia as early as the 2008 spring semester.
• Ian Smith. Smith is suspended for the first five games of the season due to his second alcohol-related arrest in late 2006. Smith was also suspended for the Chick-fil-A Bowl. His infractions came before a new University policy mandating a semester-long suspension for any student with two alcohol-related violations. Hebron wasn’t so lucky.

Pending/possible suspensions:

• Tripp Chandler and Blake Barnes. The two were arrested on alcohol-related charges in June, but no decision has been announced yet concerning any disciplinary action. Their suspensions could range from one to two games.
• Tripp Taylor. The man who made the "wham" position famous last season faces misdemeanor simple assault charges for his role in a brawl at Lake Allatoona in May. According to a post his father made on the DawgVent around the time of the incident, Taylor was more involved in breaking up the fight than anything else, but we’ll see what comes of this story as the summer goes on.

What about…?

• Tanner Strickland. Strickland was arrested in March for misdemeanor possession of a fake ID as part of a larger investigation. He was accepted into a pre-trial diversion program and will not face a suspension from the team.
• Seth Watts. Watts had been suspended for the Chick-fil-A Bowl and decided to leave the team in the spring to focus on academics.