As the Kansas City Chiefs prepared to defend their Super Bowl crown in 2021, a tragedy became a huge distraction during the week of the Super Bowl that swept the positive vibes up into a dark cloud hanging over the franchise. Andy Reid‘s son Britt was intoxicated and caused a pretty serious car accident.
Reid was reportedly driving 84 mph as he rammed his pickup into two other vehicles near Arrowhead Stadium. He admitted to being legally drunk at the time. The accident left five people injured, including 5-year-old Ariel Young, who was seriously injured. Originally set to face as many as seven years in prison for the incident, Reid entered a plea deal that will limit his sentence to just four years in prison.
Chiefs’ OLB coach Britt Reid was involved in a car accident that Kansas City now is commenting on: pic.twitter.com/tsKNtvcV9k
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 5, 2021
At Monday’s hearing Reid had this to say.
“I regret what I did. I made a huge mistake. I apologize to the family. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”
That apology didn’t seem to move the victims of the crash who wanted a stricter punishment for the damage Reid’s drunk driving caused.
Young’s Family Isn’t Happy About Plea Deal At All
The plea deal will allow Reid to see the light of day much sooner than he should. While Young, who suffered a traumatic brain injury, will never be the same.
The family’s attorney Tom Pardo released the following statement, explaining the family’s disdain for the plea.
“The five victims of this crime are outraged. The prosecuting attorney is not seeking the maximum sentence allowed by law. The defendant is a prior offender whose actions caused a five-year-old to be in a coma and seriously injured by others.”
Reid who is a prior offender, has had his share of run-ins with the law stemming from a past road-rage incident and substance abuse issues.
K.C. defense attorney and former prosecutor, Chris Scott agrees with the plea.
“The people that write the law say seven years is the maximum, so this about what you’d expect,” Scott said. “The prosecution knows the facts of the case that the public doesn’t, so if prosecutors feel that four years is fair then I would say it’s fair.
“The victims and their family will get to speak at sentencing, but I’d be stunned if the court didn’t follow the recommendation. If the judge didn’t follow those agreements, then nothing would get done. I’ve never seen a Jackson County, Missouri, judge go against it.”
Former Chiefs coach Britt Reid enters Jackson Co. Court to plead guilty to DWI which caused serious physical injury as part of a deal where he will serve no more than 4 years behind bars. #fox4kc #KansasCity #ChiefsKingdom #DWI #drunkendriving pic.twitter.com/LFBWugvvNk
— John Pepitone (@JohnPepitone) September 12, 2022
The Super Bowl winning coach’s kids have had their fair share of substance abuse and alcohol related incidents. In 2012, Reid’s oldest son Garrett died from a heroin overdose.
Britt’s Legal Issues Definitely Didn’t Help The Chiefs In The Super Bowl
Britt’s legal issues played a role in the Chiefs’ 31-9 loss to the Buccaneers in the Super Bowl. The team didn’t arrive until the day before the big game, while the Bucs got to sleep in the comfort of their own beds, with the game being in their backyard at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Throw in an offensive line that lost both of its starting tackles two weeks prior in the AFC Championship Game, and the Chiefs didn’t stand a chance.
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