A female University of Georgia, Athens, student accused three men of assault in an incident that occurred during the 2001-2002 basketball season. The three athletes, Steve Thomas (center, basketball), Tony Cole (guard, basketball) and Brandon Williams (cornerback, football) were initially arrested and released. On January 17, 2002 the students were suspended, pending an outcome of the investigation.

Two days later the University's Department of Public Safety director announced they were wrapping up the investigation and only had to "compare notes" with the county attorney. On January 29, Williams was re-instated, drawing the wrath of a number of people both on and off-campus. At the time, UGA was in the middle of the basketball season and headed for the NCAA tournament. Williams, who was a starter, was viewed as a key team player.

The indictment of the three players came after Georgia had been eliminated from the tournament. NCAA rules require suspension if a player is indicted on felony charges.

In spite of strong evidence in support of the woman's case, including the presence of the accused's DNA, a jury acquitted the first defendant. Charges against the other two athletes were dropped.

Jim Harrick Sr., University of Georgia basketball coach, refused to permit Tony Cole to return to the team for the 2002-2003 season. Cole remained on scholarship, but left the University in January, 2003. He revealed that he had received an A in a class taught by Herrick's son. He never attended the class, turned in homework or taken tests. As a result Herrick, his son and another man were dismissed from the University, and Vince Dooley withdrew the team from the NCAA tournament (2003).