Jalen Carter’s crime was a pair of traffic misdemeanors in Georgia: reckless driving and racing on highways or streets. He pleaded no contest to both in March 2023 after a street race in Athens killed Georgia offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy, and he received probation, a fine, and community service rather than jail. Civil lawsuits from a surviving passenger and from Willock’s family are still active.1ESPN. Jalen Carter Pleads No Contest
What Jalen Carter Was Charged With
On March 1, 2023, Athens-Clarke County police issued arrest warrants charging Carter with two misdemeanors: reckless driving and racing. Carter turned himself in that night, was booked at the county jail at 11:33 p.m., and was released by 11:49 p.m.2ABC7 News. Jalen Carter Crash Arrest
Police said Carter had been at the crash scene but left before officers arrived and later gave “shifting accounts” of what happened. At the time of his arrest, Carter said in a statement that he expected to be “fully exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing.”3NFL.com. Jalen Carter Subject of Arrest Warrants
The Fatal Street Race in Athens
The charges came out of a crash in the early morning of January 15, 2023, hours after Georgia had won its second straight national championship. A 2021 Ford Expedition driven by LeCroy, 24, left Barnett Shoals Road in Athens-Clarke County, struck two utility poles and several trees, and came to rest against an apartment building. LeCroy and Willock, a 20-year-old third-year player from New Milford, New Jersey, were killed. Two other passengers survived: offensive lineman Warren McClendon, who sustained a forehead injury, and recruiting analyst Victoria “Tory” Bowles, who was not wearing a seatbelt and was seriously hurt.4OnlineAthens. Georgia Football Crash Details
Investigators found that LeCroy and Carter, who was driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, were operating their vehicles “in the manner consistent with racing” after leaving downtown Athens around 2:30 a.m. The vehicles were switching lanes, driving in the center turn lane and oncoming traffic, and traveling at extreme speeds. Video analysis placed both vehicles at roughly 99 mph near a convenience store shortly before the crash, and the Expedition was estimated at about 104 mph in a 40 mph zone when LeCroy lost control. A toxicology report put LeCroy’s blood alcohol concentration at .197, more than twice Georgia’s .08 legal limit.5FOX 5 Atlanta. Deadly UGA Crash Investigation
The Plea and Sentence
Two weeks after the warrants were issued, on March 16, 2023, Carter entered no-contest pleas to both misdemeanor counts. He was sentenced to 12 months of probation, a $1,000 fine, 80 hours of community service, and a state-approved defensive driving course. He faced no jail time.1ESPN. Jalen Carter Pleads No Contest A no-contest plea resolved the charges without an admission of guilt. No homicide or felony charges were filed against Carter in connection with the deaths.
Civil Lawsuits Still Pending
The criminal case closed quickly. The civil litigation did not.
Victoria Bowles’s Suit
Bowles sued in July 2023 in Gwinnett County State Court, naming the University of Georgia Athletic Association, Carter, his company Breadman Jalen LLC, and LeCroy’s estate. The complaint accused Carter of taking part in an “unlawful joint enterprise” with LeCroy by racing at extreme speeds, leaving the scene without rendering aid, and failing to tell police of his involvement for roughly 80 minutes.6OnlineAthens. Georgia Football Jalen Carter Victoria Bowles Crash
Bowles settled her claims against the UGA Athletic Association in a confidential agreement dated August 19, 2024, receiving $1.5 million from the association’s insurers. The agreement said the resolution was reached “without either party admitting fault or assigning fault,” and its terms later came out through an open-records request by the Athens Banner-Herald.7OnlineAthens. Georgia Football Crash Bowles Settlement
Her claims against Carter and his company are still alive. In a video deposition taken July 7, 2025, Carter acknowledged that his driving that night was “reckless.” He said he stayed away from the wrecked vehicle because “there was a chance of me hurting myself” in the debris and darkness. Asked why he never contacted Bowles while she was hospitalized, Carter testified: “She wasn’t helping me get to the NFL. That was my coaches. I was going to people I needed.”8FOX 5 Atlanta. Deadly UGA Crash Jalen Carter’s Testimony Revealed
Bowles’s attorneys used those admissions to file an amended complaint on September 17, 2025, in the State Court of Athens-Clarke County, seeking $5 million and arguing Carter is subject to “uncapped punitive damages” because leaving the scene was an “intentional and culpable act” driven by concern for his NFL draft stock. Carter’s attorney, Bill Cowsert, called the allegations “completely false” and said the deposition excerpts were “taken out of context or in response to a leading question,” maintaining that Carter stopped at the scene and cooperated with law enforcement.6OnlineAthens. Georgia Football Jalen Carter Victoria Bowles Crash
Devin Willock’s Family Suit
In May 2023, Devin Willock’s father, Dave Willock Sr., filed a $40 million wrongful death lawsuit in Gwinnett County State Court. It named the UGA Athletic Association, Carter, LeCroy’s estate, an Ohio dealership that had provided Carter with the Trackhawk through a Name, Image, and Likeness agreement, and a strip club where LeCroy had been drinking before the crash. The suit sought $30 million in compensatory damages from UGA’s athletic association and $10 million in punitive damages from Carter.9USA Today. Jalen Carter, University of Georgia Sued10NBC Sports Philadelphia. Jalen Carter Named in Lawsuit by Father of Devin Willock
On January 15, 2025, Willock’s parents filed a separate $2 million lawsuit in Clarke County against the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents, alleging university employees negligently entrusted LeCroy with the leased SUV despite a reckless driving history that included a “super-speeder” ticket.11Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Devin Willock’s Family Sues Georgia Board of Regents
Where Things Stand Now
Carter’s criminal case is closed. The civil lawsuits brought by Victoria Bowles and by Devin Willock’s family remain pending as of the most recent filings in late 2025.
On the field, Carter has become one of the NFL’s most disruptive interior defenders. He earned Pro Bowl selections in each of his first two seasons, was named an All-Pro in 2024, and helped the Philadelphia Eagles win Super Bowl LIX. On April 27, 2026, the Eagles exercised his fifth-year contract option, keeping him under team control through the 2027 season.12Philadelphia Eagles. Eagles Exercise Fifth-Year Option for Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith