Kirby Smart says UGA football doesn’t have culture problem, won’t change policies after fatal crash

ATHENS, Ga. — UGA Head Football Coach Kirby Smart is defending the culture of his football program despite the arrests of two players for reckless driving and a crash that killed another player and a staffer.

Smart sat down with ESPN for his first interview since the Jan. 15 crash that killed offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy.

When asked if the team had a culture problem, Smart replied that he did not believe so.

“Absolutely not. I would say we’re far from it,” he replied. “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.”

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Smart also said that he does not plan to change any policies as a result of the tragic deaths.

“No policy that we have caused this accident,” he told ESPN.

He also recalled the moment that he learned about the crash that would claim two lives and leave two others who were in the car, former UGA player Warren McClendon and another staffer, Tory Bowles, injured.

“Got a call at three 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,” he remembered.

Police say LeCroy was driving a Ford Expedition at 104 MPH and had a blood alcohol level of .197, which is more than twice the legal limit, at the time of the crash.

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Earlier this week, Athens-Clarke County police arrested and charged UGA football standout Jalen Carter with misdemeanor street racing and reckless driving.

They say Carter was racing LeCroy’s vehicle when she crashed in January.

Surveillance video obtained by Channel 2 Action News shows the moments just before the deadly crash. It appears to show two vehicles matching the descriptions of Carter and LeCroy’s taking off from a stop light in downtown Athens.

Carter, a possible top NFL draft pick, turned himself in on the misdemeanor charges on Wednesday night and was released just over 15 minutes later.

Body camera footage from a couple of months before the January crash showed Carter being pulled over by an Athens-Clarke County officer while going 89 MPH in a 45 MPH zone. The officer can be heard pleading Carter to slow down and saying he had pulled over several UGA football players over the last few weeks.

A week before Carter’s arrest, his teammate, linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson, was arrested and charged with reckless driving in connection an incident on Jan. 10, just days before the crash that killed Willock and LeCroy.

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Surveillance video shows moments leading up to deadly UGA crash

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