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Kirby Smart defends Georgia 'culture' after fatal crash, arrests

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ATHENS, Ga. -- Despite having two players arrested in the past two weeks 
for street-racing offenses, including Jalen Carter's booking Wednesday in 
connection with a Jan. 15 crash that killed a Georgia football player and 
a recruiting staff member, coach Kirby Smart insists his program does not 
have a culture problem.

"Absolutely not. I would say we're far from it," Smart told ESPN on 
Friday. "When you talk to people outside our program that come into it, 
they talk about what a great culture we do have -- and we do an incredible 
job. Because I've got a lot of outside entities that come into our program 
and pour into these young men.

"Do we have perfect young men and women and players? Not necessarily. But 
I promise you this, that's the intent: for us to grow these guys and get 
them better. And I feel really good about the culture within our program."

Smart, in his first interview since offensive lineman Devin Willock and 
recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy were killed, said he and his staff have 
worked hard to educate their players about the dangers of speeding and 
racing.

Carter, the former Bulldogs defensive tackle who is a potential No. 1 pick 
in April's NFL draft, was arrested Wednesday on misdemeanor charges of 
reckless driving and racing. He was released on bond after briefly being 
jailed. Linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson, a Butkus Award finalist in 2022, 
was arrested last week on the same charges.

Police officers said they observed Dumas-Johnson's vehicle traveling at 
high speeds before fleeing the scene Jan. 10, the day after Georgia 
defeated TCU to win its second straight national title.

Then on Jan. 15, only hours after Georgia celebrated with a parade and 
ceremony at Sanford Stadium, Athens-Clarke County Police alleged that 
Carter was racing a Ford Expedition driven by LeCroy on a street near 
campus. Police said the Expedition left the road around 2:45 a.m. and 
struck two power poles and several trees.

Willock, an offensive lineman from New Jersey, was ejected from the 
vehicle and died at the scene. He was sitting behind LeCroy and wasn't 
wearing a seat belt. LeCroy was transported to a hospital by ambulance and 
died as a result of her injuries.

Former Georgia player Warren McClendon and another female staffer, Tory 
Bowles, were injured but survived.

Police said the Expedition was going 104 mph when it crashed. A toxicology 
report indicated LeCroy's blood alcohol concentration was .197, about 2½ 
times the legal limit in Georgia.

Smart said he was sleeping at home when his wife, Mary Beth, awoke him 
with the devastating news. He had several missed calls on his cellphone.

"Heartache," Smart said, when asked what he remembered about that night. 
"Got a call at 3 or so in the morning. Went immediately to the emergency 
room. Probably one of the toughest moments I've ever experienced as a 
coach and a leader to see the pain in the faces of the players who had 
joined up at the emergency room that morning. [Athletics director] Josh 
Brooks was there. You know, [I] still remember the ER doctor telling me 
the news, and just one of the most painful experiences of my life."

Smart said many players are still struggling emotionally from the tragedy.

"Inside our building, we've got 130 football players that are hurting and 
have been dealing with pain. And we've emotionally supported those guys' 
mental health," Smart said. "We had several players that struggled to come 
back after the parade that have really dealt with this. It's been a tough, 
trying time for our family, our in-house family, both staff and players. 
And we continue to support both the Willock and Chandler families."

Smart's last interaction with Willock, 20, came at the end of the parade 
and celebration.

"I can remember he was walking out with a big smile on his face leaving 
the stadium," Smart said. "I just got through speaking up on the podium, 
and we dapped each other up [and] gave each other knuckles like we did 
from time to time. He just had an infectious smile. One of the most 
gentle, best people in terms of character. You know, he picked my 10-year-
old son up and carried him off the field on the night of the 
championship."

Smart said he didn't remember seeing LeCroy, 24, at the celebration.

The Expedition that LeCroy was driving had been leased by the athletics 
department for recruiting. Asked if it was LeCroy's job to get players 
home that night, Smart responded: "Absolutely not. Absolutely not." He 
added there were no policy changes needed as a result of the crash.

Smart said he was unaware that Carter had been cited in September for 
driving 89 mph in a 45 mph zone. The Athens-Clarke County Police officer 
pleaded with Carter to slow down -- and to tell his teammates to do the 
same.

"Y'all need to slow down, dude," the officer said, continuing, "Your break 
is you're not going to jail. Because that would make all kinds of news, 
right?"

Smart said his program brought in officers from the UGA Police Department 
and Athens-Clarke County Police last summer to educate players about the 
dangers of street racing. Smart said Bryant Gantt, the program's director 
of player support operations, suggested it after watching news clips of 
street racing in Atlanta.

If Georgia's players didn't listen to the warning then, Smart is hoping 
they will learn from the tragedy on Jan. 15.

"I mean, there [are] laws in place for these things, to prevent it for a 
reason," Smart said. "And we want to educate our players in every way, 
every part of our organization. We're constantly looking for a better way 
in whatever that is, health and safety included. I talked about drugs and 
alcohol, talked about gambling, talked about racing in cars and high 
speeds. You have to educate your players and you have to make sure they 
understand the risks and dangers of that, and that's something that we've 
tried to do."

<https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/35777437/kirby-smart-
defends-georgia-culture-fatal-crash-arrests>

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Kirby Smart defends Georgia 'culture' after fatal crash, arrests Moorlock <moorlock@ncaa.biz> - 2023-03-04 00:59 +0000

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