There aren't more tragic tales throughout NFL history than the one surrounding former wide receiver Rae Carruth. He was a highly touted first-round pick by the Carolina Panthers, but that's where the positivity ends.
Carruth was the No. 27 overall selection in the 1997 NFL Draft after going over 1,000 receiving yards in his final two seasons at Colorado. Things began encouragingly enough as a rookie en route to 44 catches for 545 yards and four touchdowns, but it didn't take long for things to unravel after that.
The receiver suffered injury problems, and there was growing unrest about his locker room presence becoming a distraction. Carruth had a seedy underbelly that reared its head, and it came to the fore in the most devastating way possible in 1999.
Rae Carruth's time with the Carolina Panthers will always be remembered for the wrong reasons
Cherica Adams, who was eight months pregnant with Carruth's child, was shot four times by Van Brett Watkins Sr., a nightclub owner and close associate of the NFL star. The baby, a boy, was delivered via emergency caesarean section whilst the mother was still in a coma.
She eventually died. And Carruth, who posted a $3 million bond on the premise he would turn himself in if the woman of child were deceased, went on the run. He was eventually picked up in the trunk of his car in West Tennessee, and the Panthers released him almost immediately after.
Prosecutors initially sought the death penalty for first-degree murder. Carruth was found not guilty of that charge, but he was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, shooting into an occupied vehicle, and using an instrument to destroy an unborn child. A man who once had the world at his feet was sentenced to eight years and 11 months to 24 years and four months of jail time.
Watkins pulled the trigger, getting a sentence of 40 years, eight months with a maximum of 50 years for his crime. He died in jail aged 63 in December 2023.
As for Carruth, he's now out of prison. After initially moving to Philadelphia, he now resides in the southwest, married and starting a new life, making up for his past grievances and looking to atone for his sins.
If only he offered others the same luxury.
There is something good to come from this, if you can believe that.
Chancellor Lee Adams, who suffered permanent brain damage and cerebral palsy after he was without oxygen for 70 minutes after he was born. His story was just beginning, fighting through adversity to graduate from high school and live a life full of love and laughter with his grandmother on hand to support him every step of the way.
Just as his mother wanted.