ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 03: Defensive lineman Jalen Carter #88 of the Georgia Bulldogs arrives at the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game between Oregon and Georgia on September 03, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paul Abell/Getty Images)
Georgia Bulldogs football star Jalen Carter turned himself into jail on Wednesday for a deadly January crash that left a teammate and a team staffer dead, but was almost immediately released after just 16 minutes in custody.
The 21-year-old University of Georgia defensive lineman and top NFL Draft prospect was booked into jail was charged with misdemeanor reckless driving and racing in a car crash that left Devin Willock, another Georgia defensive lineman, and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy dead.
The reckless driving charge carried a $1,500 bond while the racing charge carried $2,500, according to Athens-Clarke County jail records.
Carter was released from Athens-Clarke County Jail at 11:49 p.m. Wednesday night, just 16 minutes after he was booked.
He was back on the field as of Thursday for the NFL scouting Combine in Indianapolis, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
“This morning I received a telephone call from the Athens Georgia Police Department informing me that two misdemeanor warrants have been issued against me for reckless driving and racing,” Carter said in a statement. “Numerous reports also have circulated this morning containing inaccurate information concerning the tragic events of January 15, 2023.
“It is my intention to return to Athens and to make certain that the complete and accurate truth is presented. There is no question in my mind that when all of the facts are known that I will be fully exonerated of criminal wrongdoing,” his statement read.
Authorities claim Carter was racing his 2021 Jeep Trackhawk against Leroy shortly after the Bulldogs’ championship parade in January, as previously reported by The Shade Room.
The three had just left an Athens strip club during a night out to celebrate Georgia’s back-to-back national championships, including one their historic victory over Texas Christian University (TCU) one the night in question.
Both LeCroy, 24, and Willock, 20, were killed in the single-car crash. Several occupants were not wearing their seatbelts at the time of the fatal collision, the police report states.
LeCroy reportedly was driving at speeds up to 104 mph and had a blood alcohol level of .197 – over two times the legal limit – just prior to the crash WSBTV.
As previously mentioned, the Florida native had been in Indianapolis earlier this week for the NFL Combine before turning himself in to Georgia police on Wednesday.
Carter has spent the last three seasons with the Bulldogs, and appeared in 11 games in 2022.
Kirby Smart, Georgia’s head coach, called the charges against Carter “deeply concerning.”
“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,” Smart said Wednesday.
Smart went on to say “we will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities while supporting these families and assessing what we can learn from this horrible tragedy.”
