Jalen Carter returns to NFL scouting combine after arrest

A day after being charged with reckless driving and racing in connection with a collision that claimed the lives of a Bulldogs teammate and a member of the recruiting staff, Jalen Carter returned to the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis on Thursday.

One of the top prospects in the upcoming NFL draft, Carter, returned to the combine to complete his measurements and club interviews, among other tasks, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Even before his arrest on Wednesday, it was anticipated that he would not take part in the combine workouts.

According to online records, he was arrested for the two misdemeanors at 11:33 p.m. ET on Wednesday and freed at 11:49 p.m. after posting $4,000 bond. The case’s arraignment hearing was scheduled on April 18.

After reviewing the available evidence, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department’s public information officer, Lt. Shaun Barnett, told ESPN’s Mark Schlabach on Thursday that the department sought advice from the county’s district attorney and other governmental bodies before charging Carter with misdemeanor counts of racing and reckless driving. In Georgia, the maximum penalties for the offenses are a $1,000 fine and a 12-month prison sentence.

The issue is being handled by the county’s solicitor general’s office, and until fresh evidence surfaces, Carter is not expected to suffer any extra legal repercussions.

Barnett told Schlabach, “I do not foresee the accusations becoming anything else.

Carter is accused of racing his 2021 Jeep Trackhawk against the 2021 Ford Expedition being driven by recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy on January 15, which resulted in the crash that killed LeCroy and offensive lineman Devin Willock. The arrest warrant was obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Carter was at the collision site on Wednesday, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and subsequently gave police conflicting stories of what happened.

On Wednesday afternoon, Carter sent a message to social media in which he stated that he anticipated being “totally exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing.”

Former Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo claimed instances like the tragic collision in January have “nothing to do with the program” when speaking at the combine on Thursday.

Ringo observed, “Different individuals have various motives for what they do. “You need to take responsibility for your actions in order to be a grown man. I have nothing to say about any of my teammates’ personalities. Of all, those who get much also deserve much in return.”