Georgia players at strip club minutes before fatal crash
Devin Willock and some of his Georgia teammates were seen exiting an Athens strip club 15 minutes before the fatal car crash that killed him and UGA recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution identified Willock and his teammate Warren McClendon, among other players, in video footage that shows the group leaving Toppers International Showbar around 2:30 a.m on Jan. 15 — which came hours after Georgia celebrated back-toback national championships following their historic victory over TCU. The outlet reported that the players “were accompanied by two women who strongly resemble the UGA employees involved in the fatal crash.”
The group reportedly exited the strip club 30 minutes after it closed, before getting into a black 2021 Ford Expedition with LeCroy behind the wheel. The footage shows the vehicle traveling through a nearby intersection around 2:40 a.m.
Police responded to the crash at 2:45 a.m., about 2.5 miles away from Toppers, where the speeding SUV carrying the group hit a curb on the passenger’s side and crashed into two power poles.
A toxicology report on LeCroy is pending.
When asked if the UGA staffers violated school rules by accompanying the players to the strip club preceding the incident, UGA said in a statement: “Our primary focus remains on providing comfort and support to the families and friends of Devin, Chandler, and the two others who were injured, as well as everyone impacted by this tragedy.
“Out of respect for the individuals and their families, we will not comment further at this time on the accident or the ongoing investigation.”
New Milford, N.J., native Willock, 20, was pronounced dead at the scene, and 24-year-old LeCroy died from her injuries at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center.
According to the crash report, police said LeCroy was trapped behind the wheel and had to be freed from the vehicle. Police said Willock, who was sitting behind the driver’s seat, was not wearing his seat belt and thrown from the vehicle.
Recruiting staff member Victoria Bowles, 26, who was not wearing a seat belt in the right rear passenger seat, suffered serious injuries in the crash. McClendon, 21, who was seated in the front passenger seat, was treated for minor injuries at the Athens hospital and released.
On Monday, McClendon accepted his invitation to the Senior Bowl on Feb. 4 at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala.
Attorney Roy T. Willey IV, who represents the Willock family, shared the following statement on their behalf:
“As there are no words that can be found to describe the grief that we are experiencing with our loss, the support of all those that have said kind words and shared loving memories of Devin has helped us during this time,” the statement read.
Willock appeared in 15 games for Georgia and made two starts. He was a redshirt sophomore.