Former University Of Georgia Staffer Files Lawsuit Against The School And NFL Rookie Jalen Carter

The remnants of the fatal car accident that took the lives of University of Georgia offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy have led to another lawsuit.

According to ESPN, a survivor of that crash on Jan.15, 2023, after UGA won the national championship, Victoria Bowles, has filed a lawsuit against the UGA Athletic Association. The suit also names recently drafted Philadelphia Eagles rookie Jalen Carter, who was driving the other vehicle when the accident occurred.

Bowles, a former recruiting analyst for the University of Georgia, submitted the paperwork in Gwinnett County the week of July 14, 2023. She accuses the UGA Athletic Association of negligence.

“On the evening of the Championship Celebration, LeCroy told Ms. Bowles that she [LeCroy] had ‘permission’ to keep the SUV ‘until tomorrow,'” the lawsuit alleges. “Numerous text messages from recruiting staff supervisors to LeCroy, Ms. Bowles, and other staff members show the Association’s statement is false. Recruiting staff were regularly informed they could leave their vehicles overnight at the Butts-Mehre football facility and permissively use Association rental vehicles through a specified cut-off date and time, unrelated to their assigned recruiting activity duties.”

Her lawsuit contradicts what officials from the university stated after the deadly accident. It was said LeCroy did not have permission to drive the SUV the night of the accident.

In the lawsuit, she also says that the Athletic Association was negligent in allowing LeCroy to drive the car while she was working. Her attorneys claim officials knew that “LeCroy had at least four speeding tickets, which included two ‘super speeder’ violations under Georgia law.” The suit also states that LeCroy’s supervisor was in the vehicle when she was stopped and given her most recent super speeder ticket on Oct. 30, 2023.

The Georgia Athletic Association released a statement: “We are continuing to review the complaint, as plaintiff’s counsel elected to share it with the media before sharing it with us. Based on our preliminary review, we dispute its claims and will vigorously defend the Athletic Association’s interests in court.”

The lawsuit accuses Carter of leaving the scene without speaking to law enforcement and failing to render aid.

The football player pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing on March 16, 2023. He had been sentenced to 12 months of probation, a $1,000 fine, and 80 hours of community service and will attend a state-approved defensive driving course.