ESPN personalities Ryan Clark, Pat McAfee, and Scott Van Pelt retracted their earlier support for Kyren Lacy’s innocence in a fatal car accident involving a 78-year-old man, after Louisiana State Police released surveillance footage depicting Lacy’s reckless driving. Initially, the pundits had expressed strong reactions to evidence attempting to exonerate Lacy. However, after viewing the police surveillance, they walked back their earlier sentiments. Van Pelt said he could not recall ever seeing something that made him react viscerally. Clark expressed that Lacy died having to live with the guilt and consequences of a guilty man, and that the police tried to coerce and manipulate statements to put him behind bars. McAfee apologized for their initial reaction and admitted that more video had been made available, showing more context.
Lacy, a former LSU player, faced several charges, including felony negligent homicide, but died by suicide in April before a grand jury was set to convene. The police released a Critical Incident Briefing Video showing that Lacy was driving at a high rate of speed, passing three passenger vehicles and an 18-wheeler in a no-passing zone. The video depicts a witness, the driver of the 18-wheeler, saying Lacy caused the wreck. The incident resulted in the death of Herman Hall, a 78-year-old man. Despite the evidence presented by the police, Lacy’s attorney, Matt Ory, argued that Lacy could not have caused the crash, emphasizing that he was nearly a football field’s distance away from the wreck at the time of impact.
After reviewing all the evidence, the police concluded that Lacy’s reckless operation of the green Charger into oncoming traffic triggered the chain of events leading to the fatal crash. The attorney’s claim that Lacy could not have caused the crash contradicted the authorities’ findings, leading to the ongoing legal dispute. The case has become a tragic saga, with Lacy’s death by suicide in April adding further complexity to the situation. The ESPN personalities have since apologized for their initial reaction, acknowledging the need to present the full story and the importance of gathering all facts before making public statements.