Jalen Carter — a star defensive lineman from the University of Georgia and the 2023 NFL Draft’s potential No. 1 overall pick — is the subject of an arrest warrant from an incident in January that left a team recruiting analyst and offensive lineman dead.
Athens-Clarke County Police have secured an arrest warrant for Carter on two misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing.
The police department’s statement indicates that the recruiting specialist — Chandler LeCroy — and Carter were the drivers of two cars engaged “in a manner consistent with racing” at around 2:30 AM on January 15.
LeCroy’s car reached a speed of 104 MPH. It crashed shortly after that, killing her and Bulldogs offensive lineman Devin Wilcock, and injuring recruiting staff member Tory Bowles and offensive lineman Warren McClendon. LeCroy had a blood-alcohol concentration of .197 at the time.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was the first to report that Carter was on the scene when the fatal crash occurred.
“The charges announced today are deeply concerning, especially as we are still struggling to cope with the devastating loss of two beloved members of our community,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said in a statement. “We will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities while supporting these families and assessing what we can learn from this horrible tragedy.”
Carter — widely expected to be a top-five pick in April’s Draft — was scheduled to speak with media at the NFL Combine on Wednesday but never attended the session and is reportedly leaving Indianapolis following the news.
The development could have huge implications for Carter’s draft stock — thereby, his first contract in the NFL.
Per Spotrac, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 Draft will secure a $41 million contract; if Carter drops outside the top five, that number drops to $30.1 million.
