Former NFL coach Britt Reid gets 3 years in prison after drunken driving crash that injured child

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV/Gray News) - Former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid was sentenced Tuesday afternoon to three years in prison for an alcohol-related crash last year.

KCTV reports it was a long afternoon in court for the little girl, Ariel Young, who suffered traumatic brain injuries from the February 2021 crash.

Young fell asleep in the courtroom. But in the end, Reid was sentenced to three years in prison.

The sentencing was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday but was delayed for hours while the judge reviewed the case.

The court also heard a victim impact statement from Ariel’s mother, Felicia Miller, read by the prosecutor. In it, she explained how Ariel’s life was forever changed by that night. She now wears glasses, may need leg braces, and is in special education classes because she takes longer to process information.

“On the cold night of Feb. 4, 2021 – one of us was on the side of the road, broken down, trying to get to a minimum-wage job while Britt Reid was at work, preparing to go to the Super Bowl,” wrote Miller. “This is not a game. This is not a Chief’s game. This is our life.”

In announcing his decision, the judge cited that Reid has caused “much harm to Ariel and her family.”

The former assistant coach pleaded guilty on Sept. 12 to driving while intoxicated and causing serious injury. Ariel suffered critical brain injuries in the incident, and a four-year-old suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Tom Porto, the attorney for Ariel’s family, released the following statement:

“The victims of this crime are outraged that the defendant was not sentenced to the maximum sentence allowable by law. No amount of prison time will ever be enough to punish the defendant for the pain and suffering he caused this family and the ongoing difficulties Ariel will continue to endure for the rest of her life. She will endure. She will strive, and she will thrive. She is Ariel strong.”

Authorities said a Chevrolet Impala ran out of gas near Interstate 435 and Stadium Drive the night of the crash. The driver called a relative, who pulled up to the scene to help. That’s when a Ram pickup driven by Reid struck both vehicles while traveling at more than 80 mph, injuring the two young children.

Following the crash, an officer reported that Reid smelled of alcohol and his eyes were bloodshot. When asked if he had been drinking, the officer said Reid told him he had two to three drinks and that he was on Adderall.

According to court records, the officer conducted several sobriety tests, and Reid showed signs of impairment.

Reid’s defense attorneys, in their sentencing memorandum, described the former Chiefs coach as a husband, father of three, and continues to have a close relationship with his parents. It continued by saying Reid has a “commitment to family, willingness to help others, and sincere remorse for his conduct and the resulting tragedy that affected the lives of many, but particularly [Ariel Young].”

Reid’s defense team petitioned for a probation sentence to keep him out of jail.

Prosecutors argued that while Reid may not have driven that February night with the intent of injuring someone, he chose to ignore the potential consequences of his actions.

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