An arrest warrant has been issued for Georgia DL Jalen Carter, widely considered to be one of the top prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft, for reckless driving and driving related to the death of teammate Devin Willcox and staffer Chandler Lecroy in January. That news comes via The Athletic’s Seth Emerson, first to report the story.
Emerson reports the charges against Carter are considered misdemeanors.
As the report notes, Lecroy was killed after allegedly racing in a vehicle along with Carter, who drove a separate vehicle. Toxicology reports showed her blood alcohol level at .197, far above the legal limit of .08. She was a recruiter who worked for the University of Georgia. Her and Georgia offensive lineman Devin Willcox were killed in the crash. Two other people were in Lecroy’s car and suffered various injuries.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Carter has changed his story about that night, initially telling police he was a mile away from the accident before later saying he was alongside Lecroy at the time of the crash.
Carter, considered one of the top picks of the 2023 NFL Draft and in strong contention to the be Chicago Bears’ #1 overall pick, was scheduled to speak to the media at 10:30 AM. According to our Jonathan Heitritter and Joe Clark, the Combine has suddenly delayed interviews. It’s unclear if Carter will speak to the media though given the circumstances, it would be a surprise if he did. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Carter is not among his fellow defensive linemen. However, he did meet with teams Wednesday morning prior to the news of the arrest warrant.
In his three years with the Bulldogs, Carter recorded 83 tackles (18.5 TFL) with six sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. But right now, the current focus on him has little to do with football.
UPDATE (11:09 AM): The NFL announces Carter will not speak to the media today. They cite the fact he’s still going through medical testing though it seems like a flimsy excuse to hide the real and obvious reasons why he doesn’t want to speak with reporters.
