Georgia football staffers drove recruits after drinking, lawsuit alleges
ATHENS, Ga. - A former University of Georgia staffer injured in the January crash that killed football player Devin Willock and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy is making new claims in her lawsuit against the UGA Athletic Association, Jalen Carter, and others.
Willock and LeCroy died in the crash on Jan. 15, 2023, just hours after the team celebrated back-to-back national championships with a parade and a ceremony.
Another staff member, Victoria Bowles, was one of two other people in the Ford Expedition driven by LeCroy who survived the high-speed crash.
Bowles filed the lawsuit in July 2023, naming the nonprofit UGA Athletic Association, former UGA star Jalen Carter, Carter's company Breadman Jalen, LLC, the administrator of LeCroy's estate, and five John Does as defendants.
Inside the latest lawsuit over deadly UGA crash
UGA staffer Tory Bowles was seriously injured in the crash that took the life of recruiter Chandler LeCroy and player Devin Willock after the national championship parade in January. Some of those injuries will last a lifetime and now Bowles is suing UGA Athletic Association, Jalen Carter, and others for the money to cover her medical bills.
In the suit, Bowles' attorneys say she suffered "a spinal cord injury sufficient to cause leakage of cerebrospinal fluid," fractured her ribs, vertebrae, teeth and clavicle, lacerated her kidney and liver, and punctured her lung. She also claims that injuries to her head have left her with neurological damage.
The updated complaint, filed on Thursday, claims many staffers "regularly" drove recruits and guests in vehicles rented by the Athletic Association after consuming alcohol, a statement that contradicts what the nonprofit said after the deadly crash.
The filing also includes text messages allegedly sent from the former UGA football program's director of player personnel and UGA Athletics Association staff members referencing alcohol and driving.
"Text messages show that on occasion, supervisors and coaches, in effect, encouraged recruiting staff to drink alcohol with football prospects’ families - well aware that staffers would leave the events after consuming alcohol." the lawsuit reads.
A toxicology report indicated that LeCroy's blood alcohol was .197 at the time of the crash. The legal blood alcohol limit is .08. Authorities also stated that evidence suggested LeCroy's Expedition was traveling at about 104 miles per hour shortly before the crash.
In the filing, Bowles' lawyers say she was unaware when she got into the SUV that LeCroy "may have been illegally intoxicated" and did not know that "LeCroy and Defendant Carter would engage in street racing."
The investigation found that the SUV LeCroy was driving and Carter's vehicle were operating "in a manner consistent with racing shortly after leaving the downtown Athens area." Police say the evidence showed both LeCroy and Carter's vehicles switched lanes, drove in the center turn lane and opposite lanes of travel, and were driving at high speeds "in an apparent attempt to outdistance each other" shortly before the crash.
Video shows SUV speeding through Athens minutes before deadly UGA crash
The Athens-Clarke County Police Department released this video which investigators say shows University of Georgia football recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy speeding through Downtown Athens minutes before a deadly crash that claimed her life and the life of Devin Willock.
Carter, the 21-year-old former defensive lineman for the Bulldogs, was charged with reckless driving and racing. He pleaded no contest to the charges in March and was sentenced to perform 80 hours of community service, pay a fine of $1,000, and serve a year of probation.
In a statement to ESPN, a spokesperson for the university disputed Bowles' claims and said they will "vigorously defend the Athletic Association's interest in court."
UGA has laid the blame for the crash on LeCroy. Officials there say she was not allowed to use a leased university SUV after her recruiting duties had ended. Court records indicate she had at least three speeding citations in the last seven years. Each time she was cited, she was going more than 20 mph over the posted speed limit.
The UGA Athletics Association stated the vehicle involved in the wreck was leased by the athletic department, but that its use was not authorized. Bowles' lawyer disputes that fact, sharing texts that allegedly showed LeCroy was allowed to keep the vehicle for the entire weekend. The lawsuit also contains allegations that the association knew of LeCroy's "pattern of reckless driving" and intervened to get her tickets reduced.
Bowles is seeking damages of more than $171,000 from the defendants for lost income and medical expenses.