Georgia Player Discusses Crash That Killed Teammate Devin Willock And Recruiting Staffer Chandler LeCroy
MOBILE, Alabama - No. 77 of the Georgia Bulldogs practiced on Tuesday afternoon.
Devin Willock wore No. 77 before he died in a car crash in Athens on Jan. 15 that also killed football recruiting staff member Chandler LeCroy.
Offensive lineman Warren McClendon roomed with Willock and was in the car that early morning. He walked away with only cuts on his face. A fourth passenger, Victoria Bowles, remains hospitalized in stable condition.
"After everything happened, I was like, 'I've got to wear it,'" McClendon said of honoring his teammate Tuesday after a Senior Bowl practice at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the South Alabama campus. "For my brother, my roommate, I had to do it."
The four had been celebrating until the early hours of January 15 after a national championship celebration and parade in Athens on January 14 for the Bulldogs' second consecutive national championship victory on January 9.
Warren McClendon Does Not Remember Much From Wreck
"Um, really not that much," McClendon said when asked what he remembers from the crash. "Yeah, not too much from it. When the wreck happened, I kind of got knocked out, so I really don't remember too much."
McClendon did remember Willock's and LeCroy's sense of humor.
"They always would make me laugh," he said. "I'm just taking it day by day. Some days, it's tough."
McClendon said he has been seeing a psychiatrist about the tragedy.
"It's getting better day by day," he said. "It's very helpful. At first, I really didn't want to. I was trying to push away from it, but it's helpful."
So is being reunited with Georgia teammates - running back Kenny McIntosh, defensive back Chris Smith and kicker Jack Podlesny. They are also practicing for Saturday's Senior Bowl.
"It's really good just being around the guys and having my teammates out here," he said. "It is good seeing them again."