Photo: Mark Brown/Getty
Former NFL coachBritt Reid has been sentenced to three years in prison.
Reid was handed down the sentence Tuesday after being found guilty of one felony count of driving while intoxicated causing serious bodily injury,according toThe New York Times.
The charge stemmed from a Feb. 4, 2021 highway crash that injuredAriel Miller, then 5, and four others.
Reid — the son of Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid — wastaken immediately into custody., local affiliate KSHB reports.
The former coach, 37, was facing up to four years as part of aplea deal he made in September. Prior to the plea deal, he was facing a maximum of seven years in prison and a trial.
In an additional exclusive statement to PEOPLE, Porto adds, “The family is relieved this matter is over.”
Ariel Miller.GoFundMe
Ariel’s family also appeared in court on Tuesday and her motherread a victim’s statement to Reid, according to ABC News.
“Today, Ariel drags her right foot when she walks. Next month we’re going to see a doctor about leg braces. She has terrible balance,” she wrote, according to the outlet. “She takes longer to process information than her peers. She will have to be in special ed. She wears thick glasses that she never wore before. This is our life.”
Ariel’s mother shared that she does not accept any past apologies from Reid for the accident and that he never should’ve been offered a plea deal. Additionally, she said that the victims are “offended” he even asked for probation.
“Ariel’s life is forever changedbecause of Britt Reid. Her life will be dealing with the damage that Britt Reid did,” she wrote, according to ABC News
Reid’s lawyer says in a statement to PEOPLE: “Britt Reid respects the Court’s decision and appreciates the time and attention given to this matter. He sincerely regrets and accepts responsibility for his conduct and hopes and prays for A.Y.’s continued recovery.”
In September, Reid appeared in court in Missouri to plead guilty to driving while impaired stemming from the Feb. 4, 2021, crash. Reid was behind the wheel of his pickup truck, driving near GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, when he struck two vehicles that had stopped along the side of the highway.
Ariel was one of two childrenseated in the back of a disabled silver Chevrolet Traverse who were hurt in the crash. The other child, a then 4-year-old, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The crash, which also injured Reid, left Ariel in a coma for 11 days. Relatives had previously said she was facing a long road ahead in her recovery.
Reid, who was the linebackers/outside linebackers coach with the Chiefs at the time of the crash, admitted to drinking prior to getting behind the wheel, policesaid at the time.
In 2007,Reid was sentencedto eight to 23 months in prison for a road-rage incident in Pennsylvania, during which he flashed a handgun at another motorist, ESPN reported at the time. He was paroled into a treatment program.
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That same year, he also pleaded guilty to DUI and drug charges after driving his vehicle into a shopping cart in a sporting goods store’s parking lot.
“I regret what I did,” said Reid at the hearing in September,according to KMBC. “I made a huge mistake. I apologize to the family. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”
The station reports that when the judge asked if the family had a statement to make, Miller stood up and said, “My family and I are opposed to the plea deal. I don’t think he should receive it.”
source: people.com
