Former NFL Player Gets 81 Months In Prison After Brutally Beating Girlfriend

An ex-NFLer has been sentenced to several years behind bars after being found guilty of brutally beating his girlfriend in an incident that took place in 2021.

Chad Wheeler — a former offensive lineman who most recently played for the Seattle Seahawks during the 2020 NFL season — was found guilty on one count of first-degree assault domestic violence back in November in King County, Washington.

On Friday, the 30-year-old was sentenced to 81 months in prison. According to TMZ, Wheeler had friends and family in the courtroom during sentencing, and the victim of his crime, his ex-girlfriend Alleah Taylor, was there as well.

On top of almost seven years in the clink — which he will reportedly start serving immediately — Wheeler has been banned from contacting Taylor and also ordered to pay restitution.

According to Taylor's account of the incident, Wheeler ordered her to bow down to him and beat her when she opted not to comply. She said that the 6-foot-7 Wheeler threw her on a bed and choked her until she was unconscious. She said that the violent incident gave her a concussion and a broken arm, one that even needed metal hardware to fix properly.

TMZ reported that Taylor hopped on X ahead of the sentencing and talked about how happy she was to see Wheeler heading to jail.

"Sending Chad to prison tomorrow!" she reportedly wrote. "I appreciate everyone that has supported me and the legal process to make this happen! It’s been a long road but we are finally here and finally receiving justice!"

Wheeler played college football at the University of Southern California. He went undrafted but was signed by the New York Giants. He spent two years with the Giants before being released in 2019. He was signed to the Seattle Seahawks practice squad about a month later. 

He played with the Seahawks for the 2020 season and was released for good in January 2021.

Over three seasons Wheeler appeared in 32 games, 19 of which he started.