Jalen Carter‘s involvement in a fatal car crash in January has been put to rest with respect to criminal proceedings via his plea agreement. The Eagles defensive tackle is now facing a new legal hurdle, however.
Carter has been named as a defendant in a $40M civil suit filed by Devin Willock Sr., as detailed by Shehan Jeyarajah of CBS Sports. Willock’s son, along with staffer Chandler LeCroy, were killed in an accident resulting from a racing incident following Georgia’s national championship victory. The lawsuit also names the school’s athletic association and LeCroy’s estate as defendants.
Of the $40M total, Carter is individually being sued for $10M, per Callie Lawson-Freeman of Yahoo! Sports. The latter figure, the suit states, represents what Willock believes his son would have earned in the NFL.
Carter recently signed his four-year rookie contract with the Eagles, which has a total value of $21.8M and includes the potential for a fifth-year option being exercised.
The fatal accident — which included Carter fleeing the scene and later being booked on misdemeanor charges — was a key talking point during the pre-draft process. An underwhelming pro day performance added to character concerns for the All-American, leading a number of teams to take him off their draft boards.
Philadelphia (a team which has added several ex-Bulldogs in recent drafts) traded up one spot to select him, though, after an evaluation process which did not include extensive vetting of the crash.
Carter was driving with a suspended licence at the time of the accident, ESPN’s Tim McManus notes. That did not factor into the charges (reckless driving and racing) which he faced, however, and his plea agreement prevents any further proceedings taking place stemming from the crash.
The Willock suit notes two other occasions which Carter received citations or tickets for. In addition to facing 12 months of probation, paying a $1,000 fine and serving 80 hours of community service, the latter is required to complete a driving course.
A statement from Georgia’s athletic association calls the allegations “baseless,” and makes clear its intention of fighting them in court. Whether or not Carter looks to match that approach will be a key storyline to follow as this process unfolds.
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