ATHENS, Georgia (AP) Georgia has fired the football recruitment staffer who survived a January crash that killed Devin Willock and another recruiting staffer, less than a month after filing a complaint against the university’s athletics department.
The school said Victoria “Tori” Bowles was fired because she failed to help with an internal investigation into the tragedy. Her attorneys allege that she is being discriminated against for filing the complaint, which also names former Georgia player and first-round NFL draft pick Jalen Carter.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was the first to reveal Bowles’ firing.
The Jan. 15 incident, which occurred just hours after a parade commemorating Georgia’s second consecutive national championship, killed Willock, 20, and the driver of the Ford Expedition, Chandler LeCroy, 24.
According to police, LeCroy had a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit and was racing Carter at around 104 mph when the SUV went off the road, colliding with two utility poles and a tree before crashing into another tree on the driver’s side, where both LeCroy and Willock were sitting.
Another Georgia player, Warren McClendon, suffered just minor injuries. But Bowles, who was riding in the backseat next to Willock, suffered catastrophic injuries such as lumbar and rib fractures, a spinal cord damage, and kidney and liver lacerations, according to her claim. She also had a closed head injury, which resulted in neurological impairment and acute eye pain.
The action, which names LeCroy’s estate as an additional defendant, seeks at least $171,595 in general damages and punitive damages.
According to the lawsuit, the Georgia Athletic Association entrusted LeCroy with the hired SUV despite knowing she had at least two “super speeder” offenses and four speeding tickets prior to the collision.
The athletic association stated that staff members were only authorized to utilize rented automobiles for recruiting reasons. “Under no circumstances were recruiting staff authorized to use rental cars to drive at excessive speeds while intoxicated,” according to a statement issued by the company.
Bowles was on paid medical leave for a few months after the collision before the sports association put her on unpaid leave in March, according to information obtained by the Journal-Constitution.
Rob Buck, Bowles’ attorney, claims the university has engaged in a “campaign of intimidation” against his client, whose annual salary is less than $12,000.
“Tory, like all other perceived liabilities to the football program, became expendable to UGA, and despite her loyalty and meager salary, has been steamrolled,” he went on to say.
The sports association said in a statement Monday that, while it wished Bowles well in her recovery, it was compelled to fire her due to a lack of collaboration.
“Applicable policies require university employees to cooperate with internal investigations,” according to the statement acquired by the Journal-Constitution. “Over the period of several months, Ms. Bowles was frequently asked to speak with our investigators and give information, but she consistently refused to comply through her attorney.
“As a result, we were ultimately left with no choice but to terminate her employment.”
Carter, taken ninth overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL draft, was sentenced to 12 months probation and a $1,000 fine in March after pleading no contest to misdemeanor reckless driving and racing offenses.
The Los Angeles Rams drafted McClendon in the fifth round.
