University of Georgia Athletics Fires Employee Who Is Suing School for 'Negligence' After Fatal Car Crash

Victoria "Tory" Bowles, the school's former football recruiting analyst, filed a lawsuit against the university's athletics department and others seeking $171,595 in damages

The University of Georgia's Athletics Association has fired an employee who survived the Jan. 15 crash that left two a football player and a staffer dead, the school confirmed to ESPN.

Victoria "Tory" Bowles, a former football recruiting analyst, was fired nearly one month after she filed a lawsuit against the school's athletics department and Philadelphia Eagles rookie Jalen Carter, who was involved in the deadly crash that killed staffer Chandler LeCroy and player Devin Willock.

The university cited Bowles' alleged refusal to cooperate with an internal investigation into the crash as cause for her dismissal, specifically for declining to release her phone for the investigation, Fox Atlanta reported.

However, her attorneys claim that the university is retaliating against her for filing the complaint against the school's athletics department, according to ESPN.

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According to the outlet, Bowles filed the complaint in Gwinnett County, alleging that the university's athletics department was negligent in renting the Ford Expedition to LeCroy, who was driving under the influence at the time of the crash.

Related: Eagles' Jalen Carter Sued by Father of Georgia Teammate Who Died in Car Crash in $40M Lawsuit

According to the lawsuit, obtained by ESPN, LeCroy had "at least four speeding tickets, which included two 'super speeder' violations under Georgia law," with one of the violations occurring with LeCroy's supervisor in the car roughly three months before the deadly crash.

Following the accident, the athletics department claimed in a statement that, "rental vehicles were to be turned in at the immediate conclusion of recruiting duties."

However, Bowles' lawsuit states this is not the case, accusing the department of contradictory statements. "On the evening of the Championship Celebration, LeCroy told Ms. Bowles that she [LeCroy] had 'permission' to keep the SUV 'until tomorrow,'" the lawsuit said, ESPN reported.

"Numerous text messages from recruiting staff supervisors to LeCroy, Ms. Bowles and other staff members show the Association's statement is false," the lawsuit stated, adding that recruiting staff were "regularly informed" they were permitted to "leave their personal vehicles overnight at the Butts-Mehre football facility and permissively use Association rental vehicles through a specified cut-off date and time, unrelated to their assigned recruiting activity duties."

The University of Georgia did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Related: Driver Was Speeding in Crash That Killed Georgia Football Player and Staffer: Police Report

Bowles' lawsuit also names LeCroy's estate as a defendant alongside Carter and the UGA Athletics Department, ESPN reported.

She is seeking "at least $171,595 in general damages in addition to punitive damages," according to the outlet.

LeCroy was found to be intoxicated and believed to be driving 104 miles per hour, before she lost control of her vehicle — striking a curb, power pole and utility pole before hitting a tree, according to police. Willock, an offensive lineman, was ejected from the vehicle during the crash and died at the scene. LeCroy, who had a blood alcohol concentration of .197 during the time of the crash, died in the hospital.

Carter, a former star for the Bulldogs who is now on the Philadelphia Eagles roster, is also named in Bowles' lawsuit. Police claimed that Carter had been racing LeCroy's car in the moments before the crash and charged him with two misdemeanors: reckless driving and racing.

In a previous report from the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Carter offered "conflicting statements" after the accident. He first told officers he heard the crash from a nearby apartment building, then said he was driving behind LeCroy. He reportedly denied that he had been racing a car to the officers on the scene.

In March, an arrest warrant was issued for Carter for his alleged involvement in the crash. He later pled no contest to the charges and was sentenced to 12 months probation, 80 hours of community service and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.

Two months later, he was named in a $40 million lawsuit filed by Willock's father.

Related: Georgia Football Star Jalen Carter Sentenced to Probation After Car Crash That Killed Teammate, Staffer

The crash came just hours after fans packed UGA's Sanford Stadium to celebrate the team's national championship. Former players, like Jordan Davis of the Philadelphia Eagles, and current players, like linebacker Nolan Smith, shared tributes to both Willock and LeCroy on social media.

"Watching them grow and become like family over these few years. There is no grief without love, and we love both of you like family," Davis wrote.

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