Football star turns himself in after crash that killed teammate and staffer

A champion college football player was charged with reckless driving and racing on a highway in connection to a crash that killed two others (Picture: AJ Mast/AP Images for the NFL)

A national champion college football player was booked in jail on Wednesday after a fatal crash killed one of his teammates and a team staff member dead.

Jalen Carter, a 21-year-old defensive tackle from the current college football champion University of Georgia Bulldogs, was charged with two misdemeanors for the fatal crash in January – reckless driving and racing on a highway.

The gruesome crash on January 15 killed two other members of the Georgia football program: defensive lineman Devin Willock, 21, and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy, 24.

In his arrest warrant, police alleged that Carter was racing in his Jeep Trackhawk against LeCroy, who was driving another SUV. Willock was sitting in LeCroy’s passenger seat.

Jalen Carter is seen in his booking photo at Athens-Clarke County Jail (Picture: AP)

Investigators determined that LeCroy was driving 104 miles per hour in a car rented by the university for her job, 11Alive News reported.

A toxicology report also determined that LeCroy had a blood-alcohol level of .197 when she crashed – more than twice the legal limit in Georgia.

The crash happened just hours the national champion Bulldogs celebrated their victory with a parade in downtown Athens, Georgia.

Carter was booked at Athens-Clarke County Jail around 11.30pm on Wednesday night. He was released only minutes later at 11.49pm after posting his $4,000 bond.

Jalen Carter is seen at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana (Picture: AP)

In a statement posted on Twitter, Carter said numerous ‘inaccurate’ reports circulated after his charges were announced.

‘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,’ the defensive tackle said. ‘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.’

Carter, seen as one of the top prospects in the 2023 National Football League Draft, took a break from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis to face the charges.

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