Nolan Smith apologizes for "unacceptable" reckless driving arrest

Published August 4, 2026 10:16 AM Eagles linebacker Nolan Smith was arrested in Georgia in May for speeding and reckless driving and he made his first public comments on the matter on Monday. Smith was clocked at 135 miles per hour in an area with a 70 mph speed limit and head coach Nick Sirianni said at the time that the team would address it with Smith. Smith confirmed that he spoke with General Manager Howie Roseman and Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie while apologizing for his actions. “I apologized to the organization, and I’ll make that apology now,” Smith said, via Jeff Neiburg of the Philadelphia Inquirer “I represent the Eagles no matter where I go, Georgia, Florida, it doesn’t matter. That’s one of the ones that I own up and I apologize for. It’s just like that. We make mistakes and it can’t happen again and that’s unacceptable. I did apologize to Howie, I did apologize to Mr. Lurie, and I can’t let my teammates down like that. They hold me to a different accountability on and off the field.”Smith said “nothing came from” the arrest and he was able to avoid a July 14 court date by paying the fines associated with his infraction. The Eagles picked up the fifth-year option on the 2023 first-round pick’s contract during the offseason. They did the same with defensive tackle Jalen Carter before signing him to a long-term extension and Smith will try to land a deal of his own at some point in the future.