After booking, Georgia’s Carter back at combine
Potential top NFL draft pick Jalen Carter was back Thursday at the scouting combine in Indianapolis, hours after he turned himself in to Georgia police over an alleged role in a deadly January car crash.
Carter, a defensive tackle for the Georgia Bulldogs, returned to Athens, Ga., on Wednesday and posted $4,000 in bonds on racing and reckless driving charges, online records show. He was released at 11:49 p.m., less than 20 minutes after he was booked.
In a tweet Wednesday, Carter said he expects to be “fully exonerated” after authorities accused him of racing Georgia recruiting coordinator Chandler LeCroy on Jan. 15. LeCroy and Bulldogs player Devin Willock, who was a passenger in the athletics department SUV LeCroy was driving, both died when she crashed.
Carter, 21, wrote he was returning to Athens to “make certain that the complete and accurate truth is presented.”
Police said in an arrest warrant that, before the crash, Carter’s 2021 Jeep Trackhawk and the 2021 Ford Expedition driven by LeCroy “switched between lanes, drove in the center turn lane, drove in opposite lanes of travel, overtook other motorists, and drove at high rates of speed, in an apparent attempt to outdistance each other.”
LeCroy, 24, was driving 104 miles per hour when she crashed, according to officials, who say she had a blood-alcohol concentration of .197 — more than twice the legal limit. However, Carter didn’t appear to be intoxicated, authorities said.
Carter is widely considered among the best prospects in next month’s draft, with some analysts projecting him to go first overall to the Bears before this week’s legal developments.
Wilson as the backup. In 22 career games, Wilson has thrown for 4,022 yards and 15 touchdowns, with 18 interceptions while completing 55.2% of his passes. His record as a starter is 8-14.
“It’s stay in the moment and try to do everything we can to help everyone get better, be the best version of themselves they can be,” Saleh said. “So whether we bring in a guy who’s in his early 30s and you know he’s going to be here for a while, the focus is to just help him get better, as best as he can, and if his best gets to be showcased here as a New York Jet, awesome, if not, it’s still awesome because all we want is what’s best for him and his development, no different than any other player on our roster.
Although the Jets are committed to Wilson and finding a veteran quarterback, they also want to bring back White, who started four games last year. Gang Green did keep three quarterbacks last year with Wilson, White and Flacco, but it is difficult to see White returning, considering the potential market for him even as a backup.
“I feel like I probably should be talking about him more,” Saleh said. “Mike deserves every bit to be talked about, he should be on this roster also. You know we carried three last year, but again, he’s going through his process, and it’s just something that obviously we’re keeping close tabs on.”