Arrest warrants have been issued for Jalen Carter, a potential top-five pick in the coming N.F.L. draft, in connection with a car crash in January that killed two people, including a University of Georgia teammate, hours after the team’s parade for winning the national championship.
The Athens-Clarke County Police Department said Wednesday that Carter, who had not been publicly connected to the crash earlier, was racing his Jeep Trackhawk with a Ford Expedition driven by Chandler LeCroy, a recruiting analyst for the team.
The cars were speeding and driving recklessly, according to the police account. The Expedition was traveling at about 100 miles per hour when it crashed, killing LeCroy, 24, and Devin Willock, 20, a redshirt sophomore on the team. Toxicology reports indicated that LeCroy was intoxicated at the time of the crash.
The arrest warrants accuse Carter of reckless driving and racing. The charges are misdemeanors.
Carter, 21, a defensive tackle, is considered one of the top prospects for the N.F.L. draft in April and has been widely projected to be selected in the top five.
He had been scheduled to speak to the news media at the N.F.L. scouting combine in Indianapolis on Wednesday morning, but he did not appear. The league said he would not be available for comment later in the day. Carter’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
“The charges announced today are deeply concerning,” Georgia Coach Kirby Smart said in a statement, “especially as we are still struggling to cope with the devastating loss of two beloved members of our community.”
The news of the arrest warrants was first reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which said that Carter had given conflicting statements to the police about his whereabouts at the time of the crash.
The crash occurred in Athens, Ga., in the early morning of Jan. 15. LeCroy’s vehicle left the road and struck power poles and trees, according to the police. Two other passengers in the car were hurt.
Emmanuel Morgan and Kris Rhim contributed reporting from Indianapolis.
