Georgia football star Jalen Carter charged in fatal vehicle crash

Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, projected as one of the top players in next month’s NFL draft, has been charged with reckless driving and racing in conjunction with the crash that killed offensive lineman Devin Willock and a recruiting staff member.

The Athens-Clarke County Police Department has issued an arrest warrant, obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, that alleges Carter was racing his 2021 Jeep Trackhawk against the 2021 Ford Expedition driven by the recruiting staffer, 24-yearold Chandler LeCroy, which led to the Jan. 15 wreck.

Carter had been due in Indianapolis on Wednesday for the NFL scouting combine and is expected to address the arrest warrant when he returns to Athens, according to Lt. Shaun Barnett of the Athens-Clarke County Police Department.

“It is my understanding that Mr. Carter is making arrangements to turn himself in,” Barnett said in an e-mail to the AP.

The crash occurred just hours after the Bulldogs celebrated their second straight national championship with a parade and ceremony, killing LeCroy and Willock.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart expressed his concern about the charges in a statement issued Wednesday.

NHL

KINGS TRADE QUICK TO BLUE JACKETS >> The Los Angeles Kings achieved their goal of adding a quality defenseman near the trade deadline. It came with a heavy cost.

The Kings acquired defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo in a trade with Columbus Blue Jackets. In return, Los Angeles sent two-time Stanley Cup winning goaltender Jonathan Quick, a conditional 2023 first-round draft pick and a third-rounder in 2024.

The first-rounder is conditional on the Kings making the playoffs, as expected. If they do not, Columbus gets a second-round pick from L.A. each of the next two drafts as part of the trade completed late Tuesday night and announced Wednesday.

NFL

RODGERS SAYS DECISION ON

FUTURE WILL COME ‘SOON ENOUGH’ >> Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers.

Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that was released Wednesday morning. He spent much of the 11/2-hour conversation describing his recent isolation retreat in which he said he spent four days alone in a dark room.

“There’s a finality to the decision,” Rodgers said. “I don’t make it lightly. I don’t want to drag anybody around.”

The podcast was released one day after Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst was asked about Rodgers and said that they “haven’t had the conversations that we need to have yet.” Gutekunst indicated he hoped a decision was made by the start of free agency on March 15.

“There’s been some contact back and forth,” Gutekunst said. “Obviously he’s had some things on his plate. Hopefully those things will happen soon.” EX-PACKER GUION GETS

YEAR FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ASSAULT Former Green Bay Packers defen- sive tackle Letroy Guion has been sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no con- test in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall.*

Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic violence intervention program, WLUK-TV reported.

Guion, 35, had pleaded no contest to aggravated battery.

Police said officers called to Guion’s Green Bay home Sept. 26 found a woman “intoxicated and incoherent due to her injuries sustained from Letroy physically assaulting her.”

Guion told officers he and the woman had been drinking and admitted she might be hurt and said he “lost it a little bit.”

JUDGE: NFL COACH CAN

PRESS DISCRIMINATION CLAIMS IN COURT >> NFL Coach Brian Flores may get his day in court to press discrimination claims against the league and its teams after a federal judge on Wednesday rejected the argument that his lawsuit must be handled in arbitration, presumably before Commissioner Roger Goodell.

The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to arbitration, citing contracts that coaches had signed.

Flores sued the league and three teams a year ago, saying the league was “rife with racism,” particularly in its hiring and promotion of Black coaches.

The judge said Flores can let a jury decide the merits of his discrimination claims against the league, the Denver Broncos, the New York Giants and the Houston Texans, but he must pursue his claims against the Miami Dolphins through arbitration.

Tennis

DJOKOVIC ADVANCES IN DUBAI >> Top-ranked Novak Djokovic eased into the quarterfinals at the Dubai Championships by beating Tallon Griekspoor 6-2, 6-3 on Wednesday.

Djokovic extended his winning streak to 19 matches in tidy fashion a day after being pushed to a third-set tiebreaker by 130thranked Tomas Machac.

The 35-year-old Serb broke the 39th-ranked Griekspoor four times to remain unbeaten this season. It was Djokovic’s second match since winning his 10th Australian Open title.

The five-time Dubai champion had taken a few weeks off after overcoming a hamstring problem in Australia to win his record-equaling 22nd Grand Slam singles title.

Djokovic will next face either Hubert Hurkacz or qualifier Pavel Kotov for a spot in the semifinals.

Golf

PGA TOUR MOVES TOWARD

ELITE FIELD WITH NO CUTS FOR 2024 >> The PGA Tour is moving toward an elite schedule in 2024 with 16 designated events — half of them with no more than 80-man fields and no cuts — along with a chance for players on the outside to play their way in.

Still to be finalized are which events get the $20 million prize funds and details for how players can earn a spot in the field.

Players were apprised of the changes in a memo Wednesday from PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan in which he wrote, “There is no doubt in my mind that we made decisions that will transform and set the future.”

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the memo, which also indicated the Player Impact Program bonus pool will be cut in half to $50 million to 10 players (instead of 20 players), with the other $50 million going to bonus pools for the FedEx Cup and the Comcast Business Tour Top 10 for leading players in the regular season.