A prominent University of Georgia football player is accused of leading police on a high-speed chase, reaching speeds of up to 100 mph, while his younger siblings were in the car. The athlete, driving a BMW, later surrendered to authorities and now faces several charges, including cruelty to children.

Nyier Daniels, who serves as a reserve offensive lineman for the Bulldogs, is charged with two felony counts of second-degree cruelty to children and fleeing or attempting to elude police, also a felony. The towering 6-foot-8, 345-pound player is additionally facing 10 misdemeanor traffic violations, such as reckless driving.

“We are aware of the charges and are currently in the process of gathering additional information,” stated UGA spokesperson Steven Drummond. “This is an ongoing legal matter, and we will not comment further at this time.”

According to an incident report obtained by the Daily Mail, Daniels’ mother, Brandi Canada-Green, was also apprehended for allegedly running a stop sign and trying to interfere with the officers’ efforts to catch her son.

Though police lost track of Daniels on I-85 and ended the pursuit, he later arrived at the station accompanied by one of his coaches to turn himself in, as confirmed by authorities.

Bulldogs backup offensive lineman Nyier Daniels is facing two felony counts of second-degree cruelty to children and a felony count of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer

Daniels also faces 10 traffic-related misdemeanors, including charges for reckless driving

Commerce Police say they initially stopped Daniels’ mother for speeding through the stop sign, but allowed her to leave when they caught the redshirt freshman blazing by at more than 100mph.

Later, on I-85, police tailed Daniels at more than 150 mph in a 70mph zone, according to the incident report. 

Police were able to recover the BMW with the help of Georgia’s coaching staff, who persuaded Daniels to turn himself into authorities. Officer Cole Edwards wrote in his incident report that the vehicle smelled of marijuana.

When asked why he ran, Nyier allegedly told officers he was trying to prevent his mother from getting a ticket. 

‘I tried explaining the severity of what occurred and the speeds he was driving at and what could have happened,’ Edwards wrote in his report. 

According to the officer, Daniels simply replied: ‘Y’all can’t drive.’ 

‘Nyier seemed to not care about the situation that he had put himself in or the fact that he endangered the lives of his 2 younger siblings,’ Edwards added in his report. 

After being pulled over for driving through a stop sign, Canada-Green unsuccessfully attempted to block officers’ path with her vehicle, according to police, who claimed they finally placed her under arrest after abandoning their pursuit of her son.

She is charged with speeding, two counts of running a stop sign, obstruction, fleeing, failure to maintain lane, and reckless driving.

Since committing to Georgia, the 6ft8, 345-pound Daniels has played in just three games

Due to Daniels’ size, officers were forced to use two pairs of handcuffs and were unable to fit a seatbelt around him in the back of their vehicle, according to the incident report. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to Jackson County authorities seeking information on Daniels’ attorney.  

Coach Kirby Smart’s team has been involved in a number of serious traffic-related incidents in recent years, including a 2023 crash that killed offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy.

This year, Smart banned wideout Nitro Tuggle and freshman offensive lineman Marquis Easley over separate traffic-related incidents. Both have since transferred to Purdue.

An All-American Bowl selection at Newark’s Bergen Catholic High School, Daniels was considered a four-star prospect and ranked as New Jersey’s No. 2 recruit by 247sports.com. He helped Bergen Catholic to a 12-0 record and a NJSIAA Class A Non-Public state championship as a high school sophomore.

Since committing to Georgia, Daniels has seen action in just three games, but many saw him as a future starter for one of college football’s top programs.