Court Documents Allege Georgia CFB Staffers Routinely Drove After Drinking Alcohol | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Emily Baldwin Former University of Georgia football recruiting staffer Victoria Bowles alleges in court documents filed Thursday that staffers routinely operated rented vehicles after drinking alcohol.
ESPN's Mark Schlabach reported the news on Thursday, nearly one year after staffer Chandler LeCroy and offensive lineman Devin Willock died in an alcohol-fueled car crash following a parade celebrating the Bulldogs' national championship.
Fox 5 Atlanta previously reported that LeCroy, who was driving a rented Ford Expedition, had a blood alcohol limit of two-and-a-half times the legal limit.
"In a news release to FOX 5, police say that a toxicology report indicated that LeCroy's blood alcohol was .197 at the time of the crash. The legal blood alcohol limit is .08. Authorities also stated that evidence suggested LeCroy's Expedition was traveling at about 104 miles per hour shortly before the crash."
LeCroy was reportedly racing Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter in the streets of Athens, Georgia, following the parade. Willock and Bowles were in the back seat. Warren McClendon was also a passenger.
Bowles is suing the University of Georgia Athletic Association, Carter, LeCroy's estate and others for damages. The lawsuit was filed in July. Bowles was fired one month later and claimed that she is being retaliated against.
Bowles has now since filed an amended complaint in state court in Gwinnett County, Georgia.
The complaint reads in part: "Association coaches and staff regularly drank alcohol at UGA football Coach Kirby Smart's residence during recruiting events, and then, in Association SUVs, returned recruits' families and guests back to their lodging. The Association and UGA coaches were well aware that involved alcohol, in Association SUVs."
That's in conflict with what the University of Georgia Athletic Association has previously stated.
Per Reeves Jackson of 11 Alive, the University of Georgia Athletic Association has claimed that LeCroy was not permitted to drive that car, which was leased by the school. That car was for "recruiting activities only" and not "personal use," which was "strictly prohibited."
Bowles' amended complaint then listed two texts as evidence of the claims. The most recent one was a February 2022 message in which an athletic association employee reportedly told recruiting staffers that an associate AD wanted them to turn a downtown Athens restaurant "into a bar with [recruits'] families and don't leave."
Rob Buck, who represents Bowles, said the following in a statement to ESPN in part: "The texts contradict the Association's pleadings and public statements to its fan base. The texts document that the Association knowingly allowed football staffers to drive Association SUVs while drinking even if UGA had policies stating otherwise."
A university spokesperson released a statement Thursday in response to the complaint: "We are reviewing the amended complaint, but we dispute its claims and will vigorously defend the Athletic Association's interest in court."
Per Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald, the paperrequested "from UGA cell phone messages from UGA-issued phones for five recruiting staffers from the weekend of the crash" back in May.
Six months later, the school responded and said there "are no responsive documents."
Per Schlabach's relaying of the lawsuit, Bowles suffered "three lumbar fractures, five fractured vertebrae, 10 broken ribs, a broken clavicle, fractured and cracked teeth, kidney and liver lacerations, a punctured and collapsed lung, and abdominal bleeding."
She also "suffered a closed head injury that caused neurological damage, severe eye pain and, according to her neurosurgeon, significant damage to the membrane that surrounds the nerves of her spinal cord, which can progress to permanent paralysis."
Per Weiszer, Bowles seeks over $171,000 in damages (including medical expenses) from the University of Georgia Athletic Association and lost wages of over $8,800.