Trevor Etienne didn't shy away from his mistakes during his first meeting with the media as a Bulldog.

During his press conference on Tuesday, Etienne addressed his summer arrest on charges of DUI-less safe. Those charges were later dropped after Etienne pleaded no contest to other charges, but that hasn't stopped Etienne from speaking about it with his teammates.

"I addressed the team. I just tell them all, 'Use me as an example. You know, it's not worth it,'" Etienne said. "You know, it's something we want to move forward from and, you know, keep putting our best foot forward and try to avoid those situations."

Teammate Chaz Chambliss elaborated on Etienne's address.

"His message was, don't be like him in that way that he didn't rely on teammates that night," Chambliss said. "We always say, be our brother's keepers on Friday nights, Saturday nights after the games. He just wanted to use himself as an example to the other guys to make sure that we don't make the same mistakes."

Etienne sat out Georgia's season opener against Clemson after the arrest. Other discipline has been handed down, Etienne said, but he declined to say specifically what steps were taken.

Through the entire process, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has been impressed with the leadership qualites of the Florida transfer despite the off-field issue.

"I can't imagine what kind of leader he would be if he'd been in the program the whole time because he's not afraid to speak out and talk and speak up, and I respect that about him," Smart said. "He hasn't had not even a full year with these guys, but he's not afraid to speak up, and he's a tremendous leader in toughness."

Etienne said the welcoming attitude of his new teammates has helped him assume that leadership role. The Bulldogs have "done nothing but embrace me here", allowing Etienne to speak his mind when necessary.

The brotherhood is part of the reason Etienne committed to Georgia out of the transfer portal in the first place.

"You can compare it to many programs. I mean, there's not many like it. So, I mean, that's pretty much like — the G speaks for itself," Etienne said. "It just felt like home. It felt like the place where I needed to be, you know, coming around, connecting with teammates, feeling that family feeling. It felt like home."

Etienne said he doesn't feel like Georgia is playing its brand of football yet on offense. In a 13-12 win over Kentucky on Saturday, Etienne played a large role in Georgia's lone touchdown drive.

The Bulldogs will continue going to Etienne as the grind of the SEC schedule continues. His teammates fully believe in him on and off the field.

"That game (Kentucky), Trevor was a vital component for our offense by stepping up and being there when we needed him the most, made big runs, had explosive plays," linebacker Jalon Walker said. "That's what he does in practice. Once you have great practices during the week, you should line yourself up for a successful game.”