A car accident that resulted in two deaths has now led a former Georgia recruiting staffer to sue the athletics department.
In the early morning of Jan. 15, hours after Georgia celebrated its second straight national championship won earlier that week, police say former Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter and Bulldogs recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy were racing at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour when both vehicles crashed. LeCroy and Georgia player Devin Willock perished in the accident.
Fellow recruiting analyst Victoria (Tory) Bowles, a backseat passenger in the accident, was also injured, and is now suing the UGA Athletics Association over who was liable for the accident.
As with any program, Georgia rented a fleet of SUVs to transport recruits and their families around Athens during recruiting weekends. The basis for Bowles's suit centers around whether or not LeCroy had UGA's permission to take the rented vehicle home with her at the conclusion of her work duties for the day.
As detailed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Bowles camp said it was made clear to Georgia staffers that they could drive the vehicles home and has documentation to prove it.
But Bowles’ civil complaint, filed late Wednesday in Gwinnett County State Court by her lawyers, Rob Buck and Phil Boston, includes screenshots of text messages in which athletic association officials gave Bowles and others permission to keep the rented vehicles even after their assigned duties concluded.
In December 2019, for instance, Logen Reed, an associate director of recruiting operations, told Bowles in a text message that “you can take your car home if you need to.”
“Wait,” Bowles responded, “just making sure you mean I can take the SUV with me.”
“Yes!” Reed replied. “Take it home.”
The lawsuit also says the LeCroy had a record of reckless driving, which Georgia was aware of.
Following the crash, the Georgia athletics association said staff members were instructed to return the vehicles following the conclusion of their official duties.
“Policies and expectations that were well understood by athletics staff dictated that such rental vehicles were to be turned in at the immediate conclusion of recruiting duties,” Georgia said at the time. “Personal use was strictly prohibited. Therefore, the continued use of the leased car by our staff members after their recruiting duties ended earlier that evening was unauthorized.”
“It should have been understood,” Kirby Smart said in March, “that you cannot take a vehicle when you’re not doing your duties, and they were not participating in their duties at that time.”
Bowles is seeking reimbursement for $170,000 and counting in medical bills, along with damages for pain and suffering, lost wages, as well as punitive damages. The Georgia athletics association, the LeCroy estate, and Carter are defendants in the suit.
Willock's family has also brought a $40 million lawsuit against UGA, the athletics association, and others. Warren McClendon, another Georgia player, was also a passenger in the crash but sustained only minor injuries.
Carter pleaded no contest to misdemeanor reckless driving and street racing charges for his involvement, paying a $1,013 fine and is currently serving a 12-month probation.
Georgia players have been ticketed or arrested for speeding at least 12 times since the Jan. 15 crash.
“I’ll be the first to admit we haven’t solved that issue or problem,” Smart told the AJ-C earlier this week. “I don’t know that anybody has but, for us, it’s important to acknowledge it first. ... I don’t know if we can ever eradicate speeding; I’m not sure that’s possible. But I’m damn sure going to try.”