Former NCAA and NFL player Justin Crawford has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to s*xually assa*lting a 12-year-old girl.
According to the Ledger-Enquirer, Crawford, 23, faced up to 25 years to life in prison, but a plea deal on Tuesday led to three felony charges being dropped.
Following his release, he will serve 8 years of probation and must register as a s*x offender, prohibiting him from contacting the victim, her family, or anyone under 18, including his two children.
During a preliminary hearing in October last year, Columbus Police Detective Mark Scruggs testified that Crawford’s wife found him n*ked and standing over the 12-year-old girl with an erect!on in their living room around 5 a.m.
Once Crawford realized his wife had seen him, he fled to the kitchen to cover himself, and his wife returned to bed.
In a later interview with the Ledger-Enquirer, his wife disputed the erection but admitted his pen!s was exposed. She said Crawford denied any misconduct when she confronted him, claiming he ran because she startled him.
However, when Crawford’s wife took the victim to her mother and asked about the incident, the 12-year-old disclosed that Crawford woke her up and forced her to perform oral s*x, followed by intercourse.
Crawford initially denied any s*xual activity with the victim when questioned by police but later confessed to both actions, claiming the intercourse was the 12-year-old’s idea, Scruggs stated.
He was arrested and charged with inc*st, sodomy, and enticing a child for indecent purposes, according to AJC.com.
Crawford’s attorney, Michael Eddings, argued that Crawford was not in the right state of mind due to depression after missing an opportunity to join the Falcons team because of an injury. While not justifying Crawford’s actions, Eddings claimed this context explains his “mental state,” as reported by the Ledger-Enquirer.
“He’s going to carry this for the rest of his life,” Eddings said.
On Tuesday, Crawford apologized to the victim, her parents, and his family.