We expect Jarrett to be in collisions on the field, not off

I spent a lot of time Wednesday making calls and sending emails to set up an interview and photo shoot with Dwayne Jarrett, the Carolina Panthers rookie wide receiver. Wait, let me back up a bit. We were planning coverage of the Panthers preseason for our August issue when our writer, Addie, informed me she couldn’t get Jarrett through the Panthers PR. Around that same time, Tiffany, a friend of mine who does PR and event planning, happened to mention that she had a connection to Jarrett. So Wednesday we were able to set up everything. Addie interviewed Jarrett Wednesday evening and we scheduled the photo shoot for Friday (today).

But what happened next wasn’t scheduled. Our six-foot four-inch All-American receiver from Southern California ends up getting in a car accident Wednesday night. Most of the news outlets Thursday reported that Jarrett’s car was “rear-ended” and he “walked away from the accident.” Yes, he walked away from the accident, no serious injuries. But it wasn’t just a fender bender.

When I met Jarrett and his entourage (You know that’s how star athletes roll. They were all very nice, though. Even his mom came along.) today at the photo shoot, I found out that the BMW 645 coupe he was driving was totaled. He says a car hit him and pushed him into another car and his car flipped over. And the kid wasn’t even hurt (he’s only twenty, by the way).

I said to Jarrett: “Well, aside from that, welcome to Charlotte.” Now the guy has to go and get himself another fancy new whip, which is required for all professional athletes.

Look for Jarrett in our August issue.