Even though two players have been arrested in the last two weeks for street racing, including Jalen Carter on Wednesday for a crash on January 15 that killed a Georgia football player and a member of the recruiting staff, coach Kirby Smart says there is no problem with the culture of his team.
“No way, no how. Smart told ESPN on Friday, “I would say we’re a long way from it.” “When you talk to people from outside our program who join it, they talk about how great our culture is, and we do a great job of it. Because I have a lot of people from outside our program who help these young men.
“Do we have young men and women and players who are perfect? No, not always. But I can promise you one thing: that’s the goal: to help these guys grow and get better. And I feel great about how our program works as a whole.”
In his first interview, since offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy were killed, Smart said that he and his staff have worked hard to teach their players about the dangers of speeding and racing.
Carter was arrested Wednesday on misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing. He used to play defensive tackle for the Georgia Bulldogs and could be the first pick in the NFL draught in April. After a short time in jail, he was let out on bond. Last week, the same charges were brought against linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson, who was a finalist for the Butkus Award in 2022.
Police officers said they saw Dumas-car Johnson’s speeding away from the scene on Jan. 10, the day after Georgia beat TCU to win its second straight national championship.
Then, on January 15, just hours after Georgia celebrated with a parade and ceremony at Sanford Stadium, Athens-Clarke County Police said Carter was racing a Ford Expedition driven by LeCroy on a street near campus. Police say that around 2:45 a.m., the Expedition went off the road and hit two power poles and several trees.
Willock, a New Jersey offensive lineman, was thrown out of the car and died at the scene. He was sitting behind LeCroy without a seat belt on. LeCroy was taken to the hospital in an ambulance, but she died there from her injuries.
Warren McClendon, a former Georgia player, and Tory Bowles, a female staff member, were both hurt but lived.
The Expedition was going 104 mph when it crashed, according to the police. According to a toxicology report, LeCroy’s blood alcohol level was.197, which is about 212 times the legal limit in Georgia.
Smart said that his wife, Mary Beth, woke him up with terrible news while he was sleeping at home. On his cell phone, he had missed a few calls.
When asked what he remembered most about that night, Smart said, “Heartache.” “Around 3 in the morning, I got a call. Went straight to the hospital emergency room. As a coach and leader, seeing the pain on the faces of the players who had gathered at the emergency room that morning was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to deal with. Josh Brooks, who is in charge of athletics, was there. You know, I still remember the ER doctor telling me the news. It was one of the worst things that ever happened to me.”
Smart said that many players are still having trouble emotionally because of what happened.
“There are 130 football players in our building who are hurting and have been in pain. And we’ve helped those guys’ mental health on an emotional level, “Smart said. “Several of our players had trouble getting back on the field after the parade, but they have really dealt with this. It’s been a hard and trying time for our family, both the staff and the players. We still help out both the Willock and Chandler families.”
At the end of the parade and party, Smart’s last conversation with Willock, who was 20, took place.
“I remember him leaving the stadium with a big smile on his face,” Smart said. “I just finished talking up on the podium, and we gave each other daps and knuckles like we sometimes did. He just had a smile that everyone liked. One of the kindest and best people in terms of personality. You know, on the night of the championship, he picked up my 10-year-old son and carried him off the field.”
Smart said that he didn’t remember seeing LeCroy, who is 24 years old, at the party.
The athletics department had rented the Expedition that LeCroy was driving to help with recruiting. When asked if LeCroy was responsible for getting players home that night, Smart said: “Definitely not. Definitely not.” He also said that the crash didn’t mean that any policy changes were needed.
Smart said he didn’t know that Carter had gotten a ticket for driving 89 mph in a 45 mph zone in September. The Athens-Clarke County Police officer pleaded with Carter to slow down and asked him to tell his teammates to do the same.
“”Slow down, dude,” the officer said. “Your break is that you’re not going to jail. Because that would be very newsworthy, right?”
Smart said that last summer, his program brought in officers from the UGA Police Department and the Athens-Clarke County Police to teach players about the dangers of street racing. Smart said that the program’s director of player support operations, Bryant Gantt, came up with the idea after seeing news clips about street racing in Atlanta.
Smart hopes that if Georgia’s players didn’t listen to the warning then, they will learn from what happened on January 15.
Smart said, “I mean, there are laws in place to stop these things for a reason.” “And we want to teach our players everything there is to know about our organization. We’re always looking for a better way to do things, and that includes health and safety. I talked about drugs and alcohol, gambling, racing cars at high speeds, and speeding in general. You have to teach your players and make sure they understand the risks and dangers, and that’s what we’ve tried to do.”
