North Carolina freshman defensive lineman Vodney Cleveland Jr., one of the Tar Heels’ top-rated football recruits, is not participating in team activities after being involved in a single-car crash in Chatham County in mid-September, according to state troopers.
Cleveland, 18, was cited for exceeding the posted speed limit, unsafe passing on a double yellow line and failure to maintain lane control after a Sept. 17 one-car crash on State Road 1731 in Pittsboro, according to a citation issued by the State Highway Patrol.
The 2026 BMW that Cleveland was driving struck a tree and, after coming to rest, caught on fire, troopers said. Witnesses on the scene stated that Cleveland passed on a double yellow line and skid marks at the scene represented the same, troopers said. He then lost control in the curve. His speed was listed at 75 mph, and the speed limit is 45 mph on the road. The box for injury or serious injury on the citation was not checked and there is no information in the report about his condition.
Court records described Cleveland as guilty/responsible on all three charges in October before his scheduled court hearing.
“We are aware of a one-car accident involving football student-athlete Vodney Cleveland on Sept. 17,” a UNC football program spokesman told WRAL in a statement. “He is not currently participating in team activities.”
Cleveland, 6-foot-3, 310 pounds, hasn’t played this season. The freshman from Alabama been listed as out on each ACC availability report since UNC’s initial report for its Sept. 19 game against Clemson. The Tar Heels are only required to release reports for conference games. UNC plays a nonconference game at UConn on Saturday.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether his absence was related to injuries suffered in the accident or disciplinary reasons. No injuries were listed on the trooper’s report.
Cleveland was a four-star recruit, who initially committed to Texas before signing with the Tar Heels.
Cleveland was cited for speeding on Sept. 14, just days before the accident, accused of driving 66 mph in a 45-mph zone in Durham, according to a citation issued by the Durham Police Department. He was previously cited for driving 96 mph on I-40 East in Greensboro in February.
WRAL previously reported on speeding violations and other traffic violations in the UNC program under second-year head coach Bill Belichick.
Source: www.wral.com
