Update: Worst Crimes Committed by NFL Players

 Posted on June 04, 2024 in Criminal Defense

Many people aspire to be famous athletes. After all, being a well-recognized NFL or NBA player comes with major perks. In addition to the large paycheck, these players get endorsement deals, free entrance to some of the most desirable clubs, hotels, and concerts, and live lifestyles that most of us can only dream of.

But in other ways, professional athletes are just like everyone else. They also make mistakes, face problems like divorce and addiction, and sometimes even break the law. When famous athletes are accused of crimes, they need an aggressive, experienced criminal defense attorney who is not intimidated by the players’ fame or the prosecutor’s efforts to make an example out of them.

Here is an update to our blog about some of the worst crimes committed by NFL players, including crimes they have been convicted for in the last five years.

• Henry Ruggs III — Henry Ruggs, a former wide receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders, was sentenced to at least three years in prison in August 2023. Ruggs was accused of killing a woman in a fiery car crash when he was driving drunk at speeds up to 156 mph. Ruggs pleaded guilty to a DUI felony.

• Robert McCune — On February 9, 2022, linebacker Robert McCune was sentenced to five years in prison for health care fraud. McCune was accused of taking advantage of a program called the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan, which provides benefits to retired NFL players. The Department of Justice said McCune submitted fraudulent claims to the plan on behalf of himself and other NFL players.
  Zac Stacy — In November 2021, former New York Jets running back was arrested for beating his girlfriend in front of their baby. Camera footage reportedly showed Stacy punching his girlfriend in the head and throwing her into a television set. He was charged with criminal mischief and aggravated battery. He was sentenced to six months in jail.

• Kellen Winslow — At one point, Kellen Winslow was the highest-paid tight end in the NFL. In March 2021, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted of rape and other sexual offenses against five women. These charges included rape of an unconscious person, indecent exposure, forcible rape, lewd acts in public, and assault with intent to commit rape.

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Throughout NFL history, a high number of players have been charged with utterly heinous criminal offenses. While many players have subsequently been acquitted or had the charges dropped, others have been sentenced to prison for long periods of time—even for the remainder of their lives.

The following is a list of five NFL players who were charged or convicted of criminal offenses:

• Aaron Hernandez – On April 15, 2015, Hernandez was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment for the homicide of Odin Lloyd, a semi-pro football player. Furthermore, the investigation of the Lloyd case also uncovered evidence incriminating the former New England Patriots tight end in the July 16, 2012 murders of Daniel Jorge Correia de Abreu and Safiro Teixeira Furtado that occurred in Boston. On April 2017, Hernandez was found dead in his prison cell after an apparent suicide.
• Rae Carruth – The former Carolina Panthers wide receiver hired a friend to murder Cherica Adams, who was eight months pregnant with Carruth’s child at the time. While the woman passed away, the child survived. He went on the run after the killing, but was captured a month later on December 15^th, 1999. Carruth was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and received an 18 to 25-year prison sentence.
• Eric Naposki – The former Indianapolis Colt and New England Patriot was charged with a murder that occurred in December 1994. He conspired with his lover, Nanette Packard Johnston, to commit murder of Johnston’s boyfriend, William McLaughlin. McLaughlin was a wealthy, elder gentlemen who made his fortune in the healthcare industry, while Johnston was 25 years younger than he was. Naposki shot McLaughlin to death so Johnston could collect insurance money. Instead, he and Johnston were sentenced to life in prison without eligibility for parole.
• O.J. Simpson – Once upon a time, O.J. Simpson was not only a superstar NFL running back for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers, he was also a famous television and movie star. But in 1994, "The Juice" was arrested and charged with the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. Considered the "Trial of the Century," Simpson was eventually acquitted of those charges, despite being guilty in a civil suit. However, in September 2007, Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas and charged with numerous felonies, such as armed robbery and kidnapping, after her robbed some memorabilia dealers who were selling his former football mementos. In 2008, he was convicted and sentenced to 33 years in prison, with a minimum of nine years without parole. A few months ago, he was released on parole.
• Ray Lewis – A year before the Baltimore Ravens linebacker helped lead to his team to Super Bowl Victory, which also resulted in MVP honors, Ray Lewis and his friends were involved in a fight with two men at a Super Bowl XXXIV party in Atlanta. These two men, Jacinth Baker and Richard Lollar ended up being stabbed to death. Eleven days after that party, Lewis and his friends, Reginald Oakley and Joseph Sweeting, were indicted for the murders. Testifying against his friends, the former Super Bowl MVP eventually had the murder charges dropped and he received a slap on the wrist as he received a misdemeanor for obstruction of justice.

Call a Plano, TX High Profile Criminal Defense Attorney

If you have a public profile and have been accused of committing a crime, you deserve help from a Plano, TX criminal defense attorney who will fight fearlessly on your behalf. Call The Crowder Law Firm, P.C. at 214-544-0061 today to get started with a free consultation. We offer every client a customized approach that aggressively fights the charges and preserves reputations.