What you should know about Eagles draft pick Jalen Carter’s connections to the fatal Georgia car accident

Thursday night during the first round of the NFL draft in Kansas City, Missouri, the Eagles traded with the Chicago Bears to move up from No. 10 pick to No. 9 to draft University of Georgia’s Jalen Carter.

While Carter has been ranked the #1 overall prospect by several drafting expert panels, including that of ESPN’s Mel Kiper, he doesn’t come to Philadelphia without controversy. In March, Carter, then 21, was charged with two counts in connection with a car accident that occurred in the early hours of January 15 and resulted in the deaths of two people associated with Georgia’s football program. The incident and its ensuing aftermath led to alleged character qualms about Carter by some NFL teams. It also almost certainly helped Carter slip down to 9th place and end up with the Eagles.

» READ MORE: Jalen Carter is a great prospect who made a terrible mistake. The Eagles had better be right about his character.

Here’s everything you need to know about Carter, the crash, and his relationship with one of the newest Eagles.

Who is Jalen Carter?

Carter is a 6 foot 3, 314 pound defensive tackle from Apopka, Fla. He was rated by 247Sports.com as a five-star recruit from Apopka High School, the same school that produced former NFL defensive tackle and Hall of Famer Warren Sapp.

He committed to Georgia in May 2019 through fellowship offers from Alabama, Clemson, and Auburn, among others. A freshman for the Bulldogs, he played in 10 games, starting two of them, before breaking out in 2021 as a sophomore.

That season, Carter helped anchor a historically dominant defense by recording 37 tackles, 8.5 tackles for a loss, three sacks and one pass separation in 15 games. He played alongside current Eagles Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean and fellow 2023 draft pick Nolan Smith on that defense as the Bulldogs won their first national championship in 41 years. Carter was named a second-team All-SEC selection this season sophomore.

In 2022, Carter became the face of Bulldogs defense and arguably the most dominant defensive end in college football. In 13 games, he had 32 tackles, 31 quarterback hits, seven tackles for a loss, three sacks, three pass breakups and two forced fumbles. He also blocked three kicks during his time with Georgia.

The Bulldogs finished on a perfect record to win the national championship for the second year in a row. He was a first-team All-SEC selection, a first-team All-American, and was named a finalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award, presented to the nation’s top lineman.

» READ MORE: 10 things you should know about Jalen Carter, the Eagles’ top draft pick

By the end of the collegiate season, he was widely considered the top draft pick and was once in contention for the No. 1 pick overall. Carter’s performance at Georgia Pro Day on March 15 didn’t help his draft stick either. The defenseman showed up nine pounds heavier (323 pounds) than two weeks earlier at the NFL Scouting Combine and was struggling to complete various drills due to cramps and fatigue.

“I felt conditioned, but I guess I wasn’t,” Carter said Thursday. “It was just me. I should have conditioned a little more – a lot more for pro day.”

What are the details of the fatal car accident?

At approximately 2:45 a.m. on January 15, a serious automobile accident occurred south of Athens, Georgia, resulting in the deaths of Georgia recruiter Chandler LeCroy and offensive lineman Devin Willock. The incident happened hours after the national championship parade in Georgia.

Defensive lineman Jalen Carter was ranked as Mel Kiper’s #1 draft prospect.. … Continue readingAP

According to the Athens-Clark County Police Department, LeCroy, who drove a 2021 Ford Expedition leased from UGA Athletics, and Carter, who drove a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, “operated their vehicles in a manner consistent with racing” in short after exiting downtown Athens around 2:30 a.m., police said the evidence showed both vehicles “changing lanes, taking the middle turn lane, traveling in opposite lanes, passing other motorists and traveling at high speeds.” of speed.”

LeCroy’s vehicle, in which Willock and two other people associated with Georgia’s football program were counted as passengers, crashed into two utility poles and two trees before coming to a halt. Willock, 20, was pronounced dead at the scene, while LeCroy, 24, later died in hospital. The other two passengers sustained injuries but were expected to make a full recovery. LeCroy’s vehicle was later determined to be traveling approximately 104 mph, while a toxicology report found LeCroy’s blood alcohol concentration at the time of the accident was 0.197 — more than double the legal limit in Georgia.

According to police, “Investigators determined that alcohol impairment, race, reckless driving and speed were significant factors contributing to the accident.”

Police body cameras showed Carter at the scene and denied there was any racing.

Has Carter been charged with a crime?

The Athens-Clarke County Police Department issued an arrest warrant for Carter March 1 in connection with the incident. At that time, Carter was scheduled to compete in the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

Carter turned himself in on March 2 and later pleaded guilty on March 16 to two misdemeanors, reckless driving and racing not to appeal. He was sentenced to 12 months probation, a $1,000 fine and 80 hours of community service for his involvement in the incident.

“We are pleased that we were able to work with the Attorney General’s office to achieve a fair and evidence-based resolution in this case,” Carter’s attorney, Kim Stephens, said in a statement. “Mr. Carter continues to mourn the loss of his friends and continues to pray for their families and for the continued healing of injured friends.”

Investigators determined that Carter’s involvement did not reach the level of a felony charge.

“If the investigation had found otherwise, Mr. Carter would have been charged with the far more serious offenses of vehicle homicide and serious injury by a vehicle under Georgia law, both offenses, and would have faced a lengthy prison sentence,” he said Stephens.

Carter’s case has been settled and he does not face any further criminal charges in connection with the incident. Although a civil trial may be imminent, Carter has not been named as a plaintiff

A legal filing filed this month by the father of Willock — Carter’s teammate, who died in the Jan. 15 accident — denied much of the University of Georgia’s characterization of the fatal incident and blamed the accident, which occurred during an early morning high speed race between Carter and a team member through Athens due to a lack of supervision by UGA officials.

Willock’s father, from New Milford, NJ, is demanding $2 million from the university and claims the UGA recruiting analyst [LeCroy] who was tasked with driving players and their families around town, was serving alcohol at UGA Athletic Association events. Lawyers allege that the alcohol consumed at the college event caused her judgment to be “materially impaired” while street racing with Carter.

What did Howie Roseman say about Carter?

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman acknowledged the findings of the past few months played a role in Carter’s availability.

“Obviously it’s been a traumatic process for him all spring,” Roseman said Thursday. “We understand there was a reason he was available at nine. I think everyone will tell you that this is one of the most talented players in the draft and one of the most talented players to leave college in a long time. That’s part of what we’re talking about.”

Roseman also pointed out that Carter is still a kid and that this decision shouldn’t define him.

“We understand that all of these players need to be developed,” Roseman said. “They come into the league at a very young age. They are not finished products. I think that when we were 21 or 22, hopefully we all grew a lot at that time. You just really want to get to know the person and what’s in their heart.

» READ MORE: Howie Roseman defends Eagles’ Jalen Carter draft pick and the only fair answer is to wait and see

“When we met Jalen we felt like here’s a boy who loves football, obviously he’s a winner, he won in high school, he won in college. We felt like we have really good people in this building, we have a really good support team, we have really good players who are good people, we have really good coaches and we felt like it was good suits us.”

Carter said the Eagles “really didn’t ask much about the accident” and instead were more focused on learning about his love of football.

“We’ve spent a lot of time investigating the incident,” Roseman said. “We spoke to Jalen about different things. We won’t go into what we talk to our players about. That’s not fair. … But at the end of the day, nobody hides from the fact that a tragic event happened.”

Eagles Executive Vice President/General Manager Howie Roseman with Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Lurie during the NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, January 29, 2023 in Philadelphia.. … Continue readingYong Kim / Staff Photographer