Jalen Carter, a former Georgia Bulldogs star and potential No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, is wanted for arrest in Athens, Georgia, in connection to a high-speed vehicle crash that claimed the life of a teammate and a University of Georgia staffer.
Carter, a Florida native who turns 22 next month, is wanted for reckless driving and racing -- both misdemeanor charges -- in the Jan. 15 crash that killed offensive lineman Devin Willock and 24-year-old recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department announced on Wednesday, according to Seth Emerson of The Athletic.
A police investigation found that Carter, driving a Jeep Trackhawk, was racing LeCroy, who was driving a Ford Expedition carrying four passengers, including Willock. They were allegedly racing on Barnett Shoals Road in Athens at about 2:30 a.m. ET after leaving the downtown area.
The speeding vehicles "switched between lanes, drove in the center turn lane, drove in opposite lanes of travel, overtook other motorists, and drove at high rates of speed in an apparent attempt to outdistance each other," police said.
LeCroy allegedly had a blood-alcohol concentration of .197, and her vehicle reached 104 mph shortly before crashing.
In response to the development, Carter published a statement on social media saying that he is confident he will be "fully exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing."
Carter was in Indianapolis this week for the annual NFL Scouting Combine. The 2022 unanimous All-American was widely regarded as a probable top-five selection, potentially the first overall.
He was a key contributor on the Bulldogs' back-to-back national title teams. For his career, he registered 83 tackles, including 18.5 for loss, six sacks, four passes defensed and two forced fumbles in 35 games.
But now, Carter's football future is a little less certain, or at the very least his draft stock seems likely to tumble.
Compounding matters for Carter, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published an unflattering report claiming Carter had fled the scene of the fatal wreck and later changed his story multiple times with police regarding his whereabouts when the crash happened. Carter also denied that he was racing the car driven by LeCroy, the report said.
In a separate, earlier driving-related incident, Carter was cited for driving 89 mph in a 45 zone in September, the report said.
In his tweet, Carter also appeared to refute the report, saying there were "numerous media reports" containing "inaccurate information."
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