Former Georgia Football Star Sentenced in Fatal Crash

UPDATE Mar 16, 2023 3:55 PM CDT

Jalen Carter, a member of the University of Georgia's national championship football team, was sentenced to probation on Thursday in a crash the killed two people. Carter had pleaded no contest to charges of racing and reckless driving, CNN reports. He was ordered to serve 12 months' probation, pay a $1,000 fine, and perform 50 hours of community service, said Kim Stephens, his attorney. Carter also must complete a state-approved defensive driving course. He still intends to enter the NFL draft, Stephens said, adding, "He continues to grieve for the loss of his friends."

Mar 1, 2023 2:30 PM CST

Police in Georgia have issued an arrest warrant for one of the NFL's top draft prospects this year. Jalen Carter, 21, has been charged with reckless driving and racing in connection with a January crash that killed two people, including a University of Georgia teammate, ESPN reports. The Athens-Clarke County Police Department says Carter was allegedly racing his 2021 Jeep Trackhawk against a 2021 Ford Expedition driven by recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy, 24, reports the AP. LeCroy and Bulldogs offensive lineman Devin Willock, 20, were killed in the Jan. 15 single-car crash. Officials say LeCroy's blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit and she was driving a vehicle meant to be used for recruiting purposes only.

The crash happened hours after the Bulldogs celebrated their second straight national championship with a parade. The arrest warrant states that LeCroy and Carter were driving "in a manner consistent with racing" after leaving downtown Athens, Georgia, around 2:30am. According to documents seen by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Carter initially told police he had been a mile away when the Expedition crashed, but his account shifted and he said he had been alongside the vehicle at one point. According to the documents, Carter apparently left the crash scene before emergency services arrived, but he returned around 90 minutes later.

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Carter, a defensive tackle, is at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis but did not appear for scheduled media interviews Wednesday. "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 said in a statement, per NBC Sports. "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." (More NFL stories.)