KENT, Wash. — Former Seattle Seahawks player Chad Wheeler was sentenced Friday in connection to the beating of his then-girlfriend in 2021.
Wheeler, a former offensive lineman, was found guilty in November of first-degree assault and second-degree assault. He was found not guilty on a third charge of unlawful imprisonment. Wheeler was sentenced to about 6.5 years (81 months) with three years of Community Custody to follow. Wheeler was also barred from contacting the victim in perpetuity.
The minimum sentence for first-degree assault in Washington is five years in jail.
On Jan. 22, 2021, Wheeler and his then-girlfriend Alleah Taylor got into a fight at a Kent apartment, that later turned physical.
Taylor called 911 and told operators she thought Wheeler was going to kill her.
In a statement to the court in February 2021, she described the abuse inflicted by Wheeler.
"When Chad attacked me, he first sat on top of me, choked me, stuffed his fingers down my throat and covered my nose and mouth with his hands. I begged him to stop. When I tried to get away, he broke and dislocated my arm," the statement said.
According to initial police reports, Wheeler did not comply when officers arrived and tried to detain him.
After he was detained, Wheeler was "yelling 'Sorry!' repeatedly and heard crying out, 'I don't beat women!'" according to the police report.
Taylor survived – only to see her name released in tabloids and across social media.
“I was like ‘OK, so this is out’ and I’m like ‘OK how do I want to handle this,’" Taylor told KING 5 in November 2023. "Do I want to hide away and keep this under the rug and then he gets away with it and then other people are also hurt or do I want to just step up?”
Following Wheeler's arrest, the Seahawks cut him from the team. Wheeler then apologized on Twitter.
Taylor saw that night in Kent as a turning point in her life. Today she’s thriving as a model, works in the medical field and perhaps most importantly is an advocate for domestic violence survivors.
“I just want to break the cycle," Taylor said. "I come from a long line of women that have dealt with domestic violence and I just feel like it just needs to end.”
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. Additional resources are available on the Washington State Department of Health's website.