NFL Draft Top Prospect Jalen Carter Returning To Georgia To Answer Charges Concerning Role In Fatal Crash: 'I Will Be Exonerated'

Former Georgia superstar Jalen Carter is returning to Athens to face charges of reckless driving and racing with Chandler LeCroy in the early hours of Jan. 15, possibly leading to the death of LeCroy and Georgia football player Devin Willock in a high speed crash in Athens.

"There is no question in my mind that when all of the facts are known that I will be fully exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing," Carter said in a statement Wednesday afternoon on his Twitter.

Carter is a projected top five pick in the 2023 NFL Draft in April as a defensive tackle and has been labeled as the possible No. 1 overall pick. He has been in Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine this week.

Jalen Carter Kept Changing His Story

Carter also apparently lied to Athens Police as he first told them he was not near the accident when it happened. He later told police he was traveling next to the speeding vehicle with Willock and LeCroy, according to documents received recently by the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Initial reports on the accident that injured two others on Barnett Shoals Road at 2:45 a.m. on Jan. 15 did not mention Carter, 21.

Police investigators say that LeCroy's 2021 Ford Expedition and Carter's 2021 Jeep Trackhawk raced at high speeds after leaving downtown Athens on Jan. 15. Each switched lanes repeatedly and passed other vehicles in the opposite lane. Police say LeCroy drove at 104 mph just before the crash.

Toxicology reports say LeCroy’s blood alcohol level was .197 – twice the legal limit. Alcohol impairment, racing, reckless operation, and speed contributed to the crash, authorities say.

Jalen Carter Calls Parts of Media Reports Incorrect

"It is my intention to return to Athens to answer the misdemeanor charges against me and to make certain that the complete and accurate truth is presented," Carter said in his statement. "Numerous media reports have circulated this morning containing inaccurate information concerning the tragic events of Jan. 15, 2023."

Athens Police will be arresting former Georgia DT Jalen Carter for reckless driving and racing with Georgia recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy at the time she died in a car crash in Athens on Jan. 15. (Photo by Michael Wade via Getty Images)

Carter said police from Athens called him Wednesday morning about the two warrants for his arrest.