Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has commuted the prison sentence for former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid, who was convicted in a 2021 drunk driving crash that injured five people, including one child severely.
Reid, 38, the son of Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, was sentenced to three years in prison in November 2022 after pleading guilty to driving while intoxicated in connection with the Kansas City crash.
He had faced up to four years in prison as part of a plea deal. Prior to taking the guilty plea, he faced up to seven years in prison.
Parson’s office announced on Friday that the governor had approved the commutation of Reid’s sentence, along with the sentences of two others.
“Mr. Reid has completed his alcohol abuse treatment program and has served more prison time than most individuals convicted of similar offenses,” Parson’s office said in a statement to ABC News.
Reid will be under house arrest until Oct. 31, 2025, “with strict conditions of probation, including weekly meetings with a parole officer, weekly behavioral counseling attendance, weekly meetings with a peer support sponsor, and stringent community service and employment requirements,” the statement continued. “Additionally, Reid’s probation requires the installation of an ignition interlock system in any motor vehicle he operates.”
Reid’s attorney told ABC News they have no comment on the commutation.
In response to the commutation, Tom Porto, an attorney for the victims of the crash, said in a statement to ABC News: “What’s different between this criminal defendant and every other criminal defendant in the state of Missouri?”
In this Aug. 29, 2007, file photo, former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid is escorted into the Montgomery County district court house in Conshohocken, Pa.
Matt Rourke/AP, FILE
Reid was driving his pickup truck near Arrowhead Stadium on Feb. 4, 2021, when he struck two vehicles that had stopped along the side of the highway. He had a blood alcohol content of 0.113 and was driving 84 mph in a 65 mph zone at the time of the incident, according to court documents.
Ariel Young, who was 5 years old at the time, was severely injured in the crash. She suffered “life-threatening injuries” and a “severe traumatic brain injury, a parietal fracture, brain contusions and subdural hematomas,” according to court documents.
The victims have spoken out against the plea deal at the time and had hoped Reid would receive the maximum sentence. Her mother, Felicia Miller, said in a statement read at his sentencing hearing that he should never have been offered a plea deal and the victims are “offended” he asked for probation.
“Ariel’s life is forever changed because of Britt Reid. Her life will be dealing with the damage that Britt Reid did,” she wrote.
During a plea hearing in September 2022, Reid apologized for his “huge mistake.”
“I really regret what I did,” he said, according to Kansas City ABC affiliate KMBC.
At one point he turned to Ariel’s family and said, “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone that night,” KMBC reported.
Reid was a linebackers coach for the Chiefs at the time of the crash and during the team’s Super Bowl win in February 2020. He was released by the team shortly after the incident.
Reid has previously served prison time over a driving-related incident.
He pleaded guilty to simple assault and flashing a gun at another driver in a road rage incident in 2007, according to Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, court records, and served prison time. While in prison, he also pleaded guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of a controlled substance from a separate incident, according to court documents.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson recently granted a commutation for former NFL coach Britt Reid, who was involved in a DWI crash that resulted in severe injury to a child. The decision has sparked controversy and debate among the public, with many questioning the fairness and justice of the governor’s actions.
The incident occurred on February 4, 2021, when Reid, the son of Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, was driving on a highway in Kansas City. Reid’s vehicle struck two cars that were pulled over on the side of the road, injuring two children in one of the cars. One of the children, a five-year-old girl named Ariel Young, suffered severe brain injuries and was left in a coma.
Reid was found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.113, well above the legal limit of 0.08. He was charged with driving while intoxicated and serious physical injury, but pleaded guilty to a single felony charge of driving while intoxicated in exchange for prosecutors dropping the more serious charge.
In his decision to grant Reid’s commutation, Governor Parson cited Reid’s completion of a treatment program and his lack of prior criminal record as factors in his decision. Parson also noted that Reid had already served more than half of his nine-month sentence and that he would be subject to strict probation conditions upon his release.
However, many critics have argued that Reid’s actions were reckless and irresponsible, and that he should have faced harsher consequences for his role in causing such severe injuries to a child. They point out that Ariel Young will require ongoing medical care and rehabilitation for the rest of her life, and that her family has been left devastated by the incident.
The decision to grant Reid’s commutation has reignited discussions about the fairness and effectiveness of the criminal justice system, particularly when it comes to cases involving individuals with privilege and connections. Many have questioned whether Reid would have received the same leniency if he were not the son of a prominent NFL coach.
Overall, the case of Britt Reid serves as a reminder of the devastating consequences of drunk driving and the importance of holding individuals accountable for their actions. It also raises important questions about the role of privilege and influence in the criminal justice system, and whether justice is truly blind when it comes to cases like this.
