University of Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who was booked and released Wednesday night on reckless driving and racing charges, returned to Indianapolis on Thursday to finish his interviews, measurements and other activities at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per a source.
Carter did not take the field to work out for NFL scouts on Thursday, but he was seen on the sidelines in support of the defensive lineman showcasing themselves at Lucas Oil Stadium.
One of the top prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft, Carter was the subject of arrest warrants in Athens, Georgia, as a result of an ongoing investigation into a fatal crash on Jan. 15, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department announced on Wednesday.
Carter, 21, was booked at 11:33 p.m. ET and released at 11:49 p.m. Wednesday night after paying a $4,000 bond for the two misdemeanor charges.
Carter released a statement on Wednesday before turning himself in, saying that he intended to return to Athens "to answer the misdemeanor charges against me and to make certain that the complete and accurate truth is presented."
"This morning I received a telephone call from the Athens Georgia Police Department informing me that two misdemeanor warrants have been issued against me for reckless driving and racing," Carter said. "Numerous media reports also have circulated this morning concerning the tragic events of Jan. 15, 2023."
The news of the arrest warrants secured for Carter came hours after a report published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday that Carter was present at the scene of the crash, left the scene before officers arrived and then gave "shifting accounts of the wreck as an Athens police officer questioned him about whether he had been racing the car that crashed."
Carter, who declared for the NFL draft on Jan. 10, was not present for his scheduled news conference on Wednesday morning at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. NFL senior vice president of football and international communications Michael Signora told media assembled at Carter's assigned podium that Carter would not be speaking at the event on Wednesday.
A first-team All-American and All-SEC player for the Bulldogs in 2022, Carter played in 13 games with nine starts as a junior for the eventual national champions. He currently is the No. 1 player on NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah's list of this year's top 50 prospects.
