Attorneys representing the father and estate of a Georgia football player killed in a January car wreck have notified the board of regents of the University System of Georgia that they plan to seek $2 million in damages for his wrongful death, according to documents obtained by ESPN through an open records request Tuesday.
Attorneys representing Devin Willock’s father, Dave, sent a legal notice to the board of regents and others on April 11, which is required when filing legal action against state entities in Georgia. State agencies can’t be sued for more than $2 million under Georgia law.
Devin Willock, an offensive lineman, and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy were killed in a Jan. 15 wreck, hours after the Bulldogs celebrated their second straight national championship with a parade and ceremony on campus. Police alleged that LeCroy was driving an SUV that was racing star defensive tackle Jalen Carter’s SUV before the wreck.
Former Georgia player Warren McClendon and another female staffer, Tory Bowles, were injured but survived.
According to police, LeCroy’s SUV was going 104 mph when it left the road and hit two power poles and several trees. Police said her blood alcohol concentration was .197, about 2½ times the legal limit in Georgia.
Dave Willock’s attorneys allege that UGA officials were aware of LeCroy’s driving history, which includes four speeding tickets over the past six years.
“To be clear, UGA and [University of Georgia Athletic Association] agents and employees negligently entrusted a vehicle to LeCroy,” the attorneys wrote in the legal notice. “Likewise, UGA and UGAAA agents and employees negligently hired, supervised, trained, and retained LeCroy.”
The legal notice indicated that the University of Georgia Athletic Association, its employees and LeCroy’s estate would be sued separately from the board of regents.
The Georgia Athletic Association had leased the Ford Expedition that LeCroy was driving for recruiting. In an interview with ESPN on March 3, Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said it was not LeCroy’s job to get players home that night. When asked if LeCroy was supposed to be driving the SUV at the time of the accident, Smart responded: “Absolutely not. Absolutely not.”
Dave Willock’s attorneys allege that LeCroy was “instructed to keep the vehicle the entire weekend, and to be on call that weekend to serve coaches, recruits and players as needed during the championship celebrations that weekend.”
“Supervisors providing keys, etc. to recruiting assistants for the purpose of entertaining players and recruits over the Championship weekend is clear, but UGA denying those facts in the media after the events is poor form at best,” Dave Willock’s attorneys wrote in the legal notice. “Public comments by the UGA Athletic Director [Josh Brooks], supervisors and administrators diminishing their role in this incident and blaming LeCroy does not lead the way, and it is less than expected.”
In a statement on Tuesday, UGA spokesman Greg Trevor disputed the attorneys’ allegations that the UGA athletics department supplied alcohol to LeCroy at championship celebration events.
“While we continue to grieve for the Willock family, the demand letter from an attorney for Devin’s father is full of inaccuracies,” Trevor wrote in the statement. “[Willock’s attorney] has not provided the university with any sources or evidentiary bases to support these reckless claims. As we have made clear, personal use of vehicles rented for recruiting activities was strictly prohibited. Ms. LeCroy was not engaged in athletic department duties around the time of the accident, and her personal use of the car after her recruiting duties ended earlier that evening was therefore unauthorized.”
Carter, a potential first-round pick in this week’s NFL draft, pleaded no contest on March 16 to misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing. Carter was sentenced to 12 months of probation, a $1,000 fine and 80 hours of community service and will attend a state-approved defensive driving course. By resolving the matter, according to his attorney, Kim Stephens, the state is forever barred from bringing additional charges against Carter.
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