The Tragic Incident and Georgia’s Culture Problem
It has been a devastating few weeks for the University of Georgia Football family. Two members of the Bulldogs family, a Bulldogs player and a staff member, were killed in a car crash. Soon after the incident, Georgia’s Jalen Carter, a potential top pick in the NFL draft, was arrested on related charges for reckless driving and racing. Several days later, a linebacker, Jamon Dumas-Johnson, was arrested on similar charges for a different incident. Quarterback Stetson Bennet was apprehended on charges of public intoxication in Dallas.
One can’t help but think, is there a culture issue amongst the Georgian staff and players? In January, after winning a second national title, Georgia took to the streets to celebrate. During this parade, a horrific incident took place when Carter was racing with Chandler LeCroy. LeCroy was driving a Ford Expedition, a vehicle that she was not authorized to be in, and she was traveling at high speeds when the car left the road, hitting two power poles, and numerous trees. She was taken to a hospital but sadly passed soon after. Defining this as catastrophic is an understatement as Georgia lost a staff member along with one of their talented players.
Willock, an offensive lineman, was ejected from the vehicle and died on the scene after not wearing a seat belt. Another female staff member and a former player in the car survived. Police confirmed that the car was traveling at 104mph when the accident took place, and LeCroy’s blood alcohol level was about two and a half times the legal limit in Georgia.
Carter, who is one of the top players in Georgia’s football roster, had a warrant issued for his arrest due to the allegations of his involvement in the crash. After leaving the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, he flew back and handed himself over in Athens before returning to the combine a few days later.
Individually, these incidents seem random, however, following the parade and before the post-game celebrations even begun, several incidents occurred.
So, is there a culture problem among the Georgian players and their staff? Did it begin on the field and translate to their activities off-field? It’s hard to answer, but this is something that Georgia must think upon while the Bulldogs family recovers from the tragic losses.