Former NFL star Kellen Winslow II expresses remorse from prison

SAN DIEGO – Former Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow II has expressed remorse for his actions and stated that he is committed to being a “productive person” as part of his latest effort to have his prison sentence reduced under new state criminal justice reform laws.

The former NFL draft pick also detailed his life in prison and cited previous traumas he endured, including childhood sexual abuse, an estimated 100 concussions during his football career starting in high school and a 2005 motorcycle accident that led to depression.

He put it in writing to go along with a new petition filed last week with a California state appeals court, a copy of which was obtained by USA TODAY Sports. He also hired a new attorney to work on it after a state Supreme Court justice denied him in 2023, when Winslow didn’t have a lawyer and filed his arguments in handwriting.

“I am committed to being a productive person when I am released, and I will always feel remorse for what I did to the victims in my case,” Winslow said in a signed statement included with his new habeas corpus petition.

What did Kellen Winslow II do?

Winslow, 41, was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2021 after being convicted of horrific sex crimes against five women in San Diego County, including the 2003 rape of an unconscious woman and the 2018 rape of a homeless woman. All of the crimes he was convicted of were against women who were disadvantaged, incapacitated or in their mid-50s or older. One victim was a hitchhiker he picked up in 2018. Another was a 77-year-old woman at a local gym.

In his new petition, he cites state laws that would have changed the sentencing in his case, resulting in a more favorable sentence, his petition says.

“Plaintiff (Winslow) is not seeking release from prison at this time, but he does meet the criteria for relief under AB 124 given the trauma (brain damage) he suffered in his life as a football player, the physical and sexual abuse he was subjected to as a child, and the impact of his debilitating motorcycle accident,” according to his new petition filed by Patrick Morgan Ford in San Diego.

What is Kellen Winslow II’s purpose here?

Winslow, who also starred at the University of Miami, has been incarcerated since March 2019 and is currently in a state prison in Norco, California. He won’t be eligible for parole until September 2028, according to state records.

Winslow “asks this Court to grant his writ and remand the case to the trial court so that he may be sentenced in accordance with the new laws,” his new petition states. “He now presents his arguments (with facts that were not originally available) to this Court in the form of a petition for a writ of habeas corpus.”

The petition references AB 124, which went into effect in 2021. It is intended to help criminal defendants who have previously experienced “psychological, physical, or childhood trauma, including but not limited to abuse, neglect, exploitation, or sexual violence.”

AB 124 requires the court to impose a lesser sentence if the defendant has experienced such trauma, unless there are aggravating circumstances. The petition also argues that plea agreements are not isolated from changes in the law intended to reduce sentences.

In February 2021, Winslow agreed to serve his 14-year sentence in a negotiated plea agreement with prosecutors at the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. That office declined to comment on Winslow’s new plea.

What trauma did Winslow mention?

To demonstrate the relevance of the law to his own case, Winslow cited several forms of trauma he has experienced since childhood.

He cited his football career, in which he earned approximately $40 million. He played high school football in San Diego, where his father Kellen Winslow Sr. was a star tight end for the San Diego Chargers before also citing issues with a brain injury.

“I probably suffered 100 concussions during that time, but I knew not to report them because a reported concussion would show that you were ‘damaged goods’ and that could be used against a player in contract negotiations,” Winslow II said in his statement.

He said each collision was “like a minor car accident,” leading to migraines and depression.

He said his motorcycle accident in 2005 had led to depression.

“I started to become a different and less caring person at that time,” he wrote.

He then described problems he had had in his childhood and said he had been sexually abused by two family members.

“I feel this has somehow played a role in my own sexual crimes in the current case,” he wrote.

What does Winslow say about life in prison?

Winslow has previously been reluctant to express guilt or remorse. When asked by USA TODAY Sports last year about the victims, he said he “couldn’t speak of my innocence right now.” After previously maintaining his innocence, he also hesitated to plead guilty in 2019, but did so to avoid the risk of life in prison.

In his new statement, he said his life in prison includes reading the Bible and self-help books, receiving counseling and also running and training for marathons with other inmates.

“My goal was to become a better person and one day be reunited with my wife, who has been by my side for a long time, and my two children,” Winslow wrote.

His wife filed for divorce in 2019 after a jury initially convicted him on a number of charges.

His petition notes that other inmates have sent letters expressing gratitude for his help. One called him a “positive light in this place.” Another credited Winslow II with his recovery from drug addiction, writing that “the Creator sent him to me to better myself.”

“He actively programs in prison and is described by the director of his Anger Management course as a role model for other participants in the group,” his petition states.

It is not yet clear when the court will hear his case.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email address: [email protected]