NFL’s Richard Sherman avoids jail time in plea deal on domestic violence charges

NFL player Richard Sherman pleaded guilty Monday to charges related to a drunk driving and domestic incident but will avoid jail time due to a plea deal, The Associated Press reported.

Sherman, then a free agent, was arrested on July 14 after he allegedly crashed his car into a construction barrier and tried to break into his in-laws’ home in Seattle.

Sherman pleaded guilty in King County Superior Court to misdemeanor counts of first-degree negligent driving and second-degree criminal trespass as well as a criminal infraction of speeding in a roadway construction zone, according to the AP.

“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 said to the court, per the wire service. Sherman said he was “deeply remorseful” for his actions after his initial arrest.

Sherman will not spend time behind bars, but he will pay $825 in legal fees and $500 for speeding in a construction zone in addition to paying restitution for damage to his in-laws’ house and to the state’s transportation department, the AP reported.

“Mr. Sherman did not get special treatment one way or the other,” said a spokesman for the King County prosecutor’s office in response to Sherman’s deal, per the wire service.

Sherman, now a cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will be under court supervision for two years.