Georgia basketball guard Wayne Arnold was kicked off the team Friday after being charged in a marijuana case that also involved five football players.

New basketball coach Dennis Felton made the decision after returning from a recruiting trip.

"I'd like to reiterate that our program will have zero tolerance for behavior that fails to live up to the standards of excellence by which we operate," Felton said in a statement. "As destructive as the use of drugs can be, we certainly don't want this problem to exist in our program. It is unhealthy for everyone."

Arnold, who met with Felton for about an hour, said he wasn't surprised by the decision.

"He told me he has a no-tolerance policy," Arnold said in a phone interview from his dormitory. "He's a good man. I respect him for that."

The five football players -- Tim Jennings, Bryan McClendon, DeMario Minter, Mario Raley and Randall Swoopes -- were suspended for two games by their coach, Mark Richt.

Felton, trying to reform the image of the program after taking over from disgraced predecessor Jim Harrick, decided to impose a stiffer punishment on Arnold.

"While I'm disappointed in Wayne, I am also worried for him," Felton said. "I don't wish to see his future in school and as an athlete be completely derailed by this episode. So we will work diligently to help him find his next opportunity, most likely at the junior-college level, with hopes that he will grow and succeed."

Arnold didn't object to being kicked off his team while the football players were allowed to stay.

"They are two entirely different programs," he said. "Coach Felton has a no-tolerance policy, so I guess it's fair."

The six freshmen were charged with misdemeanor possession after an anonymous call to campus police complaining of someone smoking marijuana in a dorm room where Minter and McClendon live on April 17.

Chuck Horton, the university police chief, said officers found "marijuana of a small amount" in "multiple bags."

The 6-foot-4 Arnold was named "Mr. Georgia Basketball" after a brilliant career at Berkmar High School in Lilburn.

But he had trouble qualifying academically, needing to pass an Internet-based correspondence course to fulfill the requirements for a high school diploma.

His classroom troubles continued at Georgia. Arnold actually was taken off the team late in the season so he could concentrate on his classes.

Harrick said the freshman had trouble getting motivated for basketball or schoolwork after the death of his mother, who succumbed to cancer last December.

"It's something I think about every day," Arnold said Friday. "But I can't use it as an excuse or scapegoat for the things I've done. I take full responsibility for everything I've done. It's tough to get over, but I have to try to cope with it the best way I can and move on."

Arnold played sparingly in his lone season with the Bulldogs, averaging 2.8 points in 10 games.

Harrick retired from coaching last month after an investigation into academic fraud and payoffs involving players. He was replaced by Felton, the former coach at Western Kentucky.

Arnold is confident he can get his career back on track at the junior-college level.

"It's a matter of me getting re-motivated," he said. "I can do it."