Jalen Carter’s next step in his efforts to maintain his status as the top prospect in next month’s NFL draft will be Georgia’s pro day on March 15, where he is expected to participate in workouts in front of coaches and general managers.
Carter, who played a big role in the Bulldogs’ back-to-back national championships, has been widely touted as one of the top picks in the April 27 NFL Draft. His draft outlook was potentially tarnished by misdemeanor charges of racing and reckless driving in connection with a January 15 crash that killed teammate Devin Willock and a Georgia recruiting staffer, 24-year-old Chandler LeCroy.
Police allege in the arrest warrant that Carter was racing his 2021 Jeep Trackhawk against a 2021 Ford Expedition driven by LeCroy at the time of the accident. Willock was a passenger in the SUV Lecroy was driving.
Police determined that LeCroy’s Expedition was traveling at approximately 104 mph (167 kph) shortly before the crash. The arrest warrant states that LeCroy’s blood-alcohol concentration at the time of the accident was .197. The legal limit in Georgia is .08.
The accident occurred just hours after the Bulldogs celebrated their second consecutive national championship with a parade and ceremony.
Carter tweeted a statement on Wednesday, saying he expected to be “completely exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing”.
He is due to appear in municipal court in Athens on April 18 after posting a $4,000 bond on the charges late Wednesday. He then returned to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis for interviews with the team and measurements.
As he had planned even before the legal problems, Carter only watched workouts at the combine.
Carter is not the only Georgia player to be accused of racing on public roads. The team’s second-leading tackler in 2022, linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson, was arrested on February 22 on misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and speeding. A hearing on Dumas-Johnson is scheduled for April 17.