Senior Bowl Director Discusses Missed Opportunity For Stetson Bennett This Week, Tough Situation

MOBILE, Ala. - The news around former Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett hasn't been pleasant, coming off his arrest in Dallas for public intoxication. It's hard to play the 'what if?' game, but the question is hard to move past, as the Senior Bowl begins.

What if Stetson Bennett had accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl? After his arrest, on what would've been 'arrival day' for most participants, Bennett was being escorted out of a country jail in Dallas. The opportunity to play in this game and impress NFL scouts is what makes the Senior Bowl the top postseason game in the country.

STETSON BENNETT DECIDES NOT TO PLAY IN SENIOR BOWL

Speaking with OutKick 360 on Monday, executive director Jim Nagy discussed the process that went into Stetson Bennett not coming to Mobile, with an opportunity to play in the event.

"Was working through it with Stetson's people, thought this game made a ton of sense for him. What he did in Athens was incredible, but Stetson Bennett with a chip on his shoulder is a different quarterback than he's gonna wanna be in the NFL. The NFL wants a backup that's dependable, stable, reliable, supportive of the starter and low ego.

"This was an opportunity for Stetson to turn the page on a great college career," Jim Nagy explained. "It's in the past now, he's gotta look forward to what he's gonna do in his pro career."

Incident In Dallas For Stetson Bennett Could've Been Avoided

In regards to the situation of him being arrested early Sunday morning, it's an unfortunate situation that Nagy feels he needs to handle his personal life.

"He could've really helped himself down here and he chose not to. I hate to see what happened, my phone was lighting up the other day and obviously he's not in a great place, because that stuff doesn't happen if you are," Jim Nagy continued. "You shouldn't opt-out of the Senior Bowl and then have that happened on the day of arrival. If he just comes to Mobile, then he doesn't get in that trouble.I am concerned that Stetson's in a great spot."

It's tough to see Stetson dealing with certain situations in his personal life, and hopefully he gets things figured out. Bennett has a bright future ahead of him, and the Senior Bowl could've helped him down his path.

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Trey Wallace is the host of The Trey Wallace Podcast that focuses on a mixture of sports, culture, entertainment along with his perspective on everything from College Football to the College World Series. Wallace has been covering college sports for 15 years, starting off while attending the University of South Alabama. He’s broken some of the biggest college stories including the Florida football “Credit Card Scandal” along with the firing of Jim McElwin and Kevin Sumlin. Wallace also broke one of the biggest stories in college football in 2020 around the NCAA investigation into recruiting violations against Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt. Wallace also appears on radio across seven different states breaking down that latest news in college sports.