The former Cleveland Browns Pro Bowler is sentenced to a decade-plus behind bars after cutting a plea deal for his crimes, far below the initial maximum sentence of life in prison.
- Mar 4, 2021
AceShowbiz - Kellen Winslow Jr. isn't going to be able to run free for the next decade-plus. The former NFL star has been sentenced to 14 years in prison in San Diego for multiple sex crimes. He has been placed behind bars since 2019 while going through trial.
His sentence was handed out on Wednesday, March 3, during which he appeared in a San Diego-area courtroom via video conference. Before the sentencing, three of his five victims and their families spoke about how his actions have changed their lives forever.
"It's affecting my life every day and every night," one of the victims said. "I don't ever feel safe inside or outside. You brought so much damage to my life." A then-77-year-old woman, who was assaulted by the 37-year-old inside a gym jacuzzi, added, "I was the perfect victim for the first encounter, and that didn't stop him from approaching me again."
His attorney Marc Carlos argued that Kellen's head trauma from years of playing football contributed to the crimes, adding that he will be getting the medical treatment he needs. "Mr. Winslow's depression, anxiety, self-medication, years and years of head trauma built to this particular incident," the lawyer said.
The former Cleveland Browns Pro Bowler was also given a chance to speak, but he offered no comment or apology. "I've been advised by my lawyer not to speak right now. But in the future, I do plan to tell my story," he said.
The judge, meanwhile, didn't miss a chance to blast the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow. "Sexual predator. That's what Kellen Winslow the Second is. He's a sexual predator. He prays on vulnerable victims, and he is very brazen in the way he carries out his crime," the judge said, claiming that Kellen thought he "would get away with it."
Kellen has been in jail since 2019 and was initially hit with 12 charges over the allegations of sexual misconduct. He faced up to life in prison if convicted on all counts. In June of the same year, he was found guilty of several charges and Kellen cut a plea deal on the remaining charges to avoid further prosecution. The court agreed to sentence him to between 12 and 18 years in prison.
Kellen's wife of 13 years, Janelle Winslow, filed for divorce after he was convicted of the first rape charge in 2019. They share two children together, a 10-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter.
