Jalen Carter returns to NFL combine after arrest, source says

Jalen Carter has returned to the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday, after the former Georgia star’s arrest Wednesday on charges of reckless driving and racing in connection with a crash that killed a Bulldogs teammate and a recruiting staff member.

Carter, one of the top prospects in next month’s NFL draft, returned to the combine to finish interviews with teams and measurements, among other activities, the source said. He had not been expected to participate in workouts at the combine even before his arrest Wednesday.

He was booked on the pair of misdemeanors at 11:33 p.m. ET Wednesday and released at 11:49 p.m. after posting a $4,000 bail, according to online records. An arraignment hearing in the case was set for April 18.

The Athens-Clarke County (Georgia) Police Department issued a warrant, obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, that alleges Carter was racing his 2021 Jeep Trackhawk against the 2021 Ford Expedition driven by recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy, leading to the Jan. 15 crash that killed LeCroy and offensive lineman Devin Willock.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Wednesday that Carter was present at the scene of the crash and later provided shifting accounts of the incident to police.

Carter released a statement on social media Wednesday afternoon saying that he expected to be “fully exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing.”