Jalen Carter's arrest warrant leaves rampant questions – including for NFL teams | Opinion

INDIANAPOLIS – Talk about your red flags.

This was a week when Jalen Carter, the stud defensive tackle from the University of Georgia, surely hoped to bolster his case as the potential No. 1 pick overall in April's NFL draft.

Instead, Carter received a phone call from the Athens-Clarke County Police Department on Wednesday morning informing him that a warrant was issued for his arrest on two misdemeanor charges – reckless driving and racing – related to an alcohol-related crash of another vehicle in mid-January that resulted in the deaths of teammate Devin Willock and UGA recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy.

Suddenly, Carter, 21, created buzz at the NFL combine for all the wrong reasons.

Police allege that Carter, driving a 2021 Jeep Trackhawk, and LeCroy, driving a 2021 Ford Expedition, operated their vehicles in a manner consistent with racing. According to police, this episode around 2:30 a.m. on Jan. 15, hours after Georgia’s stadium celebration of a repeat national championship, included both vehicles switching lanes, driving in opposite lanes and overtaking other motorists.

Initially, it was reported as a one-car accident that left another player and staffer injured, with LeCroy’s blood alcohol concentration level of 0.197 well above the legal limit of 0.08. Her SUV was traveling around 104 mph, police said.

While Carter said he had no doubt he will be "fully exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing," there’s no denying that the result is just so tragic.

MORE: Georgia LB Nolan Smith breaks down at NFL scouting combine talking about death of Devin Willock

Carter, who interviewed with NFL teams this week, apparently bolted from the combine by Wednesday (though ESPN reported he returned Thursday to complete interviews with teams), with his legal issues added to the mix of factors that teams – especially those near the top of the draft – must weigh.

Carter was pegged to meet with reporters on Wednesday for a previously scheduled news conference but wound up as the most significant no-show of the week. As news circulated about the warrant, it was obvious that he wasn’t meeting the media as a few dozen reporters hovered at the appointed time near the podium where he was supposed to speak.

Early Wednesday, a report from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said that Carter initially told police that he was a mile away from the crash scene, then misled police about his proximity to the crash. According to the report, Carter eventually said he was driving alongside the other vehicle as it crashed.

In his statement, Carter pushed back against "numerous media reports" he maintained spread “inaccurate information.” He added that he intended to return to Athens to answer the charges “and to make certain that the complete and accurate truth is presented.”

In the meantime, the questions are piling up as they should.

“I don’t know all the details of it,” Washington Commanders general manager Martin Mayhew said. “It certainly is a challenge for him. It’s something that needs to be explained, thoroughly explained, something that needs to be investigated in terms of, ‘Is this the first time this ever happened? Has it happened before? Is it something that can be controlled?’ ”

This is the time of year when character questions abound as part of the draft process. Carter, represented by a crafty veteran agent in Drew Rosenhaus, will be pressed to not only convince teams that he’s not a bad risk but also that he won’t be a PR nightmare.

In September, Carter was ticketed for driving 89 mph in a 45-mph zone. Now the revelation that he might have left the scene of a fatal crash or even contributed to it by racing is poised to overshadow whatever hype he fueled with his excellence as a football player.

The new allegations won’t fall under the NFL’s personal conduct policy, as they occurred before he enters the league. If proved though, they could come into play in the future as an aggravating factor for discipline if Carter has legal issues that trigger the policy.

For now, it’s fair to wonder how much this will affect Carter’s draft stock. If it is just about talent, the force in the middle of the trenches with quick hands and footwork complementing his power, has the stuff that could make him the first defensive tackle chosen No. 1 overall since the Bengals took Dan “Big Daddy” Wilkinson in 1994.

“I don’t want to talk about his draft stock,” said Carolina Panthers GM Scott Fitterer, holding the ninth pick in the first round.

The Panthers met with Carter on Monday night.

“Did a nice job with us,” Fitterer said. “No issues there.”

Then came Wednesday. Fitterer said he learned of the arrest warrant when he received a text message shortly before conducting an afternoon news conference.

“I have not talked to our staff,” he said. “We came right from our interviews over here. There are going to be a lot of things to look into. I don’t want to jump to any conclusions. We’ll let it all play out and make a decision. Luckily, the draft is not until April.”

Carter wasn’t expected to participate in all of the on-field drills and timing at the combine, which is typical for many top players. It seems unlikely that the plan would change for him to show his wares at Georgia’s on-campus pro day on March 15.

In any event, as Fitterer alluded to, the scrutiny will be off the charts.

“I don’t know much about the situation,” added new Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans, holding the No. 2 pick overall. “What I would say about it is someone’s lives (were) lost, whatever the situation is. I think you just think about those families who lost a loved one and put that at the forefront. That’s the most important thing to me.”

Ryans said the Texans hadn’t formally visited with Carter yet. It seems likely that it will only be a matter of time – in addition to a thorough background check.

Perhaps Carter is truly a “can’t-miss” prospect. Regardless, his case can’t be ignored.

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jalen Carter's arrest warrant leaves massive questions in NFL draft