Kellen Winslow II wants his 12 year prison sentence for raping 5 women reduced due to "Physical Trauma" from football

Information reaching Kossyderrickent has it that Kellen Winslow II wants his 12 year prison sentence for raping 5 women reduced due to "Physical Trauma" from football.

According to reports, former NFL tight end, Kellen Winslow Jr., has requested that his 14-year prison sentence be reduced on the grounds of the physical trauma that he sustained while playing football. Winslow argues that said trauma entitles him to a shorter period of incarceration in keeping with a new California law. It is understood, that Winslow who is representing himself, sent a handwritten habeas corpus petition back in November from a state prison in Tehachapi, California.

On the surface it appears to be a case of the former NFL player attempting to take advantage of a legal loophole. If we dig deeper, it’s a case that raises valid questions about the effects of CTE on players and whether or not they should in fact be held accountable for their actions.

However, according to USA TODAY, Winslow has filed a petition in the state of California to have his sentence reduced due to a new state law implemented in 2022.

The statute, Assembly Bill 124, was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2021 as a criminal justice reform measure intended to help defendants wo had experienced “psychological, physical, or childhood trauma, including, but not limited to, abuse, neglect, exploitation, or sexual violence.”

Winslow is citing the trauma he suffered during his football career as a valid reason for shortening his sentence. Winslow was convicted in 2021 of forcible rape, rape of an unconscious person, assault with intent to commit rape, indecent exposure, and lewd conduct in public. The charges stemmed from five instances of rape and other sexual misconduct against five women in Southern California. 

The former University of Miami star was sentenced to 14 years in prison in March 2021 as part of a plea deal brokered by his attorney. 

A first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2004, Winslow II played nine seasons in the NFL with four different franchises. He finished his playing career with the New York Jets in 2013. As per reports, Winslow’s petition argues that the trauma he suffered during his career contributed to the offenses which he later committed:

“Petitioner contends he suffered physical trauma as a result from mild traumatic brain (sic) disorder, as well as potentially CTE. and this trauma was a contributing factor in the commission of the offense,” Winslow wrote by hand, referring to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a disease associated with head trauma in football and is now increasingly being scrutinized as the league tries to address the issue. “Petitioner now seeks a remand for resentencing based on AB 124. Petitioner argues because physical trauma contributed to the offenses...the court is required to impose the lower term (of the sentencing considerations).”

A former first-round draft pick and Cleveland Browns player, Winslow received a 14-year sentence in March of 2021 under a plea arrangement which saw him convicted of forcible rape, rape of an unconscious person, assault with intent to commit rape, indecent exposure and lewd conduct in public. It’s worth noting that he initially faced a life sentence. He now faces parole in July 2028.