Likely No. 1 NFL Draft pick Jalen Carter charged with reckless driving, racing in deadly crash [Updated]

Eric Blum|published: Wed 1st March, 11:08 2023

Arrest warrants were issued for former UGA star Jalen Carter source: Getty Images

Projected No. 1 overall NFL Draft selection Jalen Carter’s path to the league just got a lot bumpier.

Police secured multiple arrest warrants for the former Georgia defensive lineman on Wednesday, stemming from his alleged involvement in the fatal crash that killed Bulldog teammate Devin Willock and staff member Chandler LeCroy in January.

The Athens-Clarke County Police Department said it will arrest Carter for reckless driving and racing.

Updated March 1: Carter was charged with reckless driving and racing, which are misdemeanors in Georgia. Carter’s representatives told police that they were “making arrangements for [Carter] to turn himself in,” according to Shaun Barnett, a spokesperson for the Athens-Clarke County Police Department.

Carter released a statement on Twitter.

“It is my intention to return to Athens to answer the misdemeanor charges against me and to make certain that the complete and accurate truth is presented,” he wrote. “There is no question in my mind that when all of the facts are known that I will be fully exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing.”

Updated March 2: Carter was booked and posted bail.

Carter was expected at the NFL Combine

Carter was scheduled to speak with reporters at the NFL Combine at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday morning in Indianapolis, about an hour after police acknowledged the warrants. The crowded room of media hadn’t seen Carter as of 11 a.m. and was told his tardiness was due to “medical testing.”

Updated March 2: Jalen Carter returned to the NFL Combine.

Details surrounding the crash were released Wednesday, with an Athens-Clarke County Police Department statement citing Carter and LeCroy were “operating their vehicles in a manner consistent with racing” around the time of the accident. Also, investigators noted that “alcohol impairment, racing, reckless driving, and speed were significant contributing factors to the crash.”

Carter was not scheduled to go through workouts at this week’s combine but had scheduled team interviews and would undergo a league physical. The news of the arrest warrants comes hours after the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Carter’s presence at the crash and his shifting stories on the incident to police.