Rae Carruth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rae Carruth |
|
|---|---|
| Born | Rae Lamar Wiggins January 20, 1974 Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| Alias(es) | Rae Theotis Wiggins Rae Theotis Carruth Rae Lamar Carruth Rae Carruth Rae Lamar |
| Conviction(s) | Conspiracy to commit first degree murder Discharge of a firearm into occupied property Use an instrument to destroy an unborn child |
| Penalty | 18 years and 11 months to 24 years and 4 months imprisonment |
| Status | Released |
| Occupation | Former professional football player (1997–99) |
| Parents | Theodry Carruth (mother) Samuel Carruth (stepfather) Charles Wiggins (father) |
| Children | 2 |
Rae Theotis Carruth (born Rae Lamar Wiggins; January 20, 1974) is a former American football wide receiver, and convicted murderer. After playing college football at Colorado, Carruth was drafted in the first round of the 1997 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL) and spent three seasons with the team.
In 2001, he was found guilty of conspiring the murder of his then-girlfriend Cherica Adams, who was pregnant with his child. Including pre-trial confinement, he served 18 years of an 18-to-24-year sentence in the North Carolina state prison system and was released from the Sampson Correctional Institution in Clinton, North Carolina, on October 22, 2018.
Early life
Born and raised in Sacramento, California, Carruth attended Valley High School. He was accepted on a football scholarship to the University of Colorado Boulder, in Boulder, Colorado.
College career
He played four seasons for the Buffaloes and was named a first-team All-American in 1996. His quarterbacks at CU were future pros Koy Detmer and Kordell Stewart. Carruth earned his degree with a double major in English. Carruth caught 135 passes for 2,540 yards and 11 touchdowns in his four seasons, with an average of 18.8 yards per catch.
Professional career
Carruth was a first-round draft pick in the 1997 NFL Draft, taken by the Carolina Panthers with the 27th overall selection. He signed a four-year, $3.7 million deal that included a $1.3 million signing bonus.
Carruth had a respectable rookie season in 1997 and started 14 games. Wearing uniform number 89, he caught 44 passes for 545 yards and four touchdown passes, tied for first among rookie receivers. He was named to the all-rookie team at wide receiver.
He broke his right foot in the opening game of 1998, and did not catch another pass that season due to the injury. He ended the year with four catches for 59 yards (all on opening day). He played in the first six games of the 1999 season, with 14 catches for 200 yards.
Personal life
During Carruth's sophomore year at Colorado, his girlfriend, Michelle Wright, gave birth to their son Rae Jr. Wright sued him for child support, and Wright later testified that Carruth agreed to pay $2,700 in child support, half of what he was ordered to pay by a judge, and she had accepted on condition that he be a better father.
