Sixteen minutes in jail, and back to the NFL combine.
University of Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter — who was arrested on reckless driving charges stemming from the car crash that killed teammate Devin Willock and staffer Chandler LeCroy — was back at the NFL Scouting Combine Thursday in Indianapolis after turning himself in, according to several reports.
Carter returned to Athens, Ga. on Wednesday and was booked at the Athens-Clarke County Jail on two misdemeanor charges, one for reckless driving and another for racing — then released before midnight, just 16 minutes after his booking, on $4,000 bond.
By Thursday morning, he was back in Indianapolis, where he was tapped to “finish his interviews, measurements and other activities,” NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport tweeted.
Carter, projected to be a top-five pick in the 2023 NFL Draft before the charges, released a statement claiming that he was returning to Athens 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,” the statement read.
Carter was scheduled to speak to reporters on Wednesday morning in Indianapolis, before news of the charges came out.
It is unclear if he will speak to media upon his return.
Before the charges, Carter – who starred on Georgia’s back-to-back national championship-winning teams in 2021 and 2022 – was considered by some to be the best overall prospect in the draft, and a possible No. 1 overall pick.
It remains to be seen how far he will fall down draft boards, though, with the draft less than two months away.
By: Ny Post
