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Jalen Carter was driving with a suspended license during the night of the Jan. 15 incident in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia that led to misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing, court documents show.

The vehicle that Carter was alleged to be racing against crashed, resulting in the death of Georgia teammate Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy.

Carter, a former Georgia defensive lineman, pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 12 months of probation, a $1,000 fine and 80 hours of community service. He was not charged with driving with a suspended license.

“The driver’s history that the solicitor’s office ran back in March of 2023 did not show any license suspension,” Carter’s attorney Kim Stephens told ESPN. “Otherwise, they would have charged him with that.”

Asked if Carter was aware his license was suspended, Stephens replied: “I don’t have any idea. I would assume not but I don’t know that.”

The suspended license stemmed from a speeding ticket in Lake County, Florida on July 23, 2022, court documents show. Along with paying a fine of $133.50 on Aug. 29, Carter elected to take part in traffic school — typically recommended to defendants to avoid points being put on their driving record, an employee of the Lake County clerk’s office said. He had until Oct. 28 to complete the course. Failure to do so resulted in the suspended license, which came into full effect on Nov. 28, the employee said.

His license was reinstated on Jan. 26 — 11 days after the incident — following payment of $150.50, documents show.

A representative of the Lake County department of motor vehicles confirmed that a person who has a suspended license should not be driving regardless of which state he or she is in, and that it is against the law to do so.

With the case against Carter closed, he cannot retroactively be charged with another crime related to the Jan. 15 incident, Stephens said.

The father of Devin Willock has filed a lawsuit against the University of Georgia Athletic Association on May 9, claiming the school’s athletic department should be held liable for the January car crash that killed Willock and LeCroy. Carter is also listed as a defendant.

The lawsuit cites two other times Carter was stopped by Georgia authorities: On Sept. 2, 2022, when he was cited for running a red light by Athens Clarke County police, and Sept. 22 when he was ticketed for speeding after allegedly being clocked going 89 miles per hour in a 45 miles per hour zone.

The Philadelphia Eagles selected Carter with the No. 9 overall pick in last month’s NFL draft.

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Cristobal: QB Beck cleared for summer workouts

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Cristobal: QB Beck cleared for summer workouts

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — Miami coach Mario Cristobal said Monday that quarterback Carson Beck has been cleared to participate in all team summer activities and is approaching 100 percent following elbow surgery last year.

Cristobal said Beck has been throwing for the past three weeks as part of his rehab regimen. Beck missed all of spring practice and has yet to throw to Miami’s receivers as part of organized team activities. But that is all about to change when Miami begins summer workouts next week.

“He’s good to go,” Cristobal told ESPN at the ACC spring meetings. “He’s exceeding every benchmark.”

Beck underwent surgery on his right elbow to repair his ulnar collateral ligament, which he injured on the final play of the first half in second-ranked Georgia‘s 22-19 overtime win against Texas in the SEC championship game Dec. 7.

Beck started at Georgia for two seasons, going 24-3, and ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. had him rated as the No. 5 quarterback for the 2025 draft. But given his injury and inconsistent performance in 2024, Beck entered the portal in January. He quickly opted for Miami, where he will replace No. 1 NFL draft pick Cam Ward.

Beck threw for 7,426 yards over his two seasons as Georgia’s starter, fifth most among all FBS passers since 2023, with 57 total touchdowns and 23 turnovers.

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Canes LB Hayes out of hospital after tragic crash

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Canes LB Hayes out of hospital after tragic crash

Miami Hurricanes linebacker Adarius Hayes, who was one of the drivers in a two-vehicle crash that left three people dead and at least two others injured, has been released from the hospital, the university said Monday.

The three people who died as a result of the crash were all in a Kia Soul, which collided with a Dodge Durango being driven by Hayes on Saturday afternoon in Largo, Florida, police said.

A 78-year-old woman who was driving the Kia and two of her passengers — 10-year-old Jabari Elijah Solomon and 4-year-old Charlie Herbert Solomon Riveria — died in the crash, police said. Another passenger in the Kia was hospitalized with serious injuries, police said.

No tickets or criminal charges have been filed, though the investigation is continuing.

“We are deeply saddened to learn the crash resulted in three fatalities, as confirmed by Largo Police, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those lost,” the Hurricanes said in a statement.

The school is still working to gather further information.

“There were no signs of impairment with either driver of the vehicles,” Largo Police public information officer Megan Santo said in a statement distributed Sunday.

Hayes, a four-star recruit coming out of Largo High, played in 12 games for the Hurricanes as a freshman in 2024, mostly on special teams. He finished the season with four tackles and one interception, which he returned 25 yards in Miami’s 56-9 victory over Florida A&M on Sept. 7.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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NCAA prez is open to Trump’s idea of commission

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NCAA prez is open to Trump's idea of commission

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — NCAA president Charlie Baker said Monday he was “up for anything” when asked about a President Donald Trump-proposed commission on collegiate athletics.

Reports surfaced last week that Trump was going to create the commission.

While his conversations at ACC meetings with league football coaches, men’s and women’s basketball coaches, athletic directors and other school officials focused on governance and the pending House settlement, Baker was asked during an informal media availability for his thoughts on the presidential commission.

“I think the fact that there’s an interest on the executive side on this, I think it speaks to the fact that everybody is paying a lot of attention right now to what’s going on in college sports,” Baker said.

“I’m up for anything that can help us get somewhere.”

Baker noted the NCAA has already spent time in Washington asking for congressional help that is focused on three big issues. Among the biggest: a patchwork of state laws that relate to how collegiate athletics work in individual states; and whether student-athletes should be considered employees.

“I think [Congress] can help us. I really do,” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said during an interview with ACC Network. “We have been very bold in the desire for a national standard when it comes to name, image and likeness. We need to make sure that we have something that comes out of Washington that connects all 50 of the states because we’ve had a piecemeal project and it’s really undermined college sports. It’s been a race to the bottom. So that’s one. Two is we need some legal protection. We cannot sustain one legal case after another legal case after another legal case. A reaffirmation that these are student-athletes. Those three things to me will be very important to see if that can come out of the commission.”

Baker said, “People in our office have talked to folks who are working on this, but I don’t think they’ve decided the framework around who they want to put on.”

When asked whether he felt the creation of a commission would enhance the NCAA’s chances at legislative relief, Baker said, “I don’t have a crystal ball on that one. I don’t know. I do think, though, that it’s quite clear at this point that there are a lot of people interested in college sports, and we do need some help at some point to create some clarity around some of these issues in Washington. Creating clarity one lawsuit at a time is just a really bad way to try to move forward.”

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