Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Richard Sherman pleaded guilty in Seattle on Monday to two misdemeanor charges stemming from a drunken driving and domestic disturbance last summer, as part of an agreement that spares him further jail time.
Sherman was arrested July 14 after police said he crashed his SUV in a construction zone and tried to break into his in-laws’ suburban Seattle home where his wife Ashley and their children were staying.
His father-in-law, Raymond Moss, told officers that he armed himself with a handgun and fired pepper-spray at Sherman to protect his family. Ashley later called 911.
The break-in attempt was captured on the home’s surveillance camera, which was later released by the court.
Sherman, who said after the arrest he was ‘deeply remorseful,’ pleaded guilty Monday in King County Superior Court to two misdemeanor counts, first-degree negligent driving and second-degree criminal trespass. He also admitted to a criminal infraction of speeding in a roadway construction zone.
‘I’m grateful for the community we have and the way people continue to accept you even though you’re a flawed human being and made a mistake,’ Sherman told the court.
Sherman, a soon-to-be free agent and former star with the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, will pay about $825 in legal fees, plus $500 for speeding in the construction zone, and be under court supervision for two years. He will be responsible for paying an as-yet-undetermined amount in restitution for damage to his in-laws’ house and to the state transportation department.
In July, Sherman was arrested after he allegedly crashed his car in a construction zone and then tried to break into his in-laws’ home in the Seattle suburb of Redmond.
The ordeal unfolded hen Sherman’s wife Ashley called 911 to report that her husband was drunk, belligerent and trying to break into her parents’ home.
‘I need officers to my house now,’ Moss told the 911 operator. ‘My husband is drunk and threatened to kill himself.’
Surveillance video captured him throwing his 6-foot-3-inch, 200-plus pound body into the front door while yelling, ‘Come through, b***h.’
Sherman’s father-in-law told officers that he armed himself with a handgun and fired pepper-spray at the NFL cornerback to protect his family as Sherman tried to bust in the door of Moss’ home with his shoulder.
‘The family began to yell in fear,’ Raymond Moss told police.
‘I used pepper spray on Sherman´s face through the partially opened door as he was still banging and attempting to gain entry. I told him to stop. I armed myself with my handgun at this time fearing for the safety of myself and my family.’
Moss said Sherman partially broke the front door during the ordeal.
At Monday’s hearing, the judge gave Sherman credit for the two days he spent in custody when he was first arrested and suspended the 88 days remaining on the sentence, meaning he won’t be required to serve any additional time behind bars if he keeps out of trouble.
In an email, the King County prosecutor’s office said the resolution was in line with comparable cases.
‘Mr. Sherman did not get special treatment one way or the other,’ spokesman Casey McNerthney wrote.
Sherman originally faced several misdemeanor charges, including driving under the influence, reckless endangerment of roadway workers, second-degree criminal trespass, resisting arrest and third-degree malicious mischief.
Sherman, 33, became a Seattle sports legend during seven seasons with Seahawks. The cornerback was a star in their run to a 2014 Super Bowl victory, making a game-saving play to deflect a pass in the NFC championship game against the 49ers.
He is also the founder of the Blanket Coverage Foundation, a charity that provides low-income students with school supplies and clothes.
