Mother of injured girl believes Britt Reid's tie to Chiefs played role in commutation

Britt Reid’s house arrest will end on Oct. 31, 2025

The mother of the girl who was seriously injured in a 2021 drunk driving crash caused by former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid spoke out after Missouri Gov. Mike Parson commuted the sentence of the ex-NFL coach.

Felicia Miller told ESPN in an interview published Monday that if the roles were reversed, her life "would’ve been over." She added that she was "p----d" when she learned of Reid’s fate earlier this month. 

She said she believed had she been responsible for the wreck that injured Reid’s child, the outcome would have been different. 

Britt Reid coaching

Quality control coach Britt Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on from the sideline before a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on December 21, 2014 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  The Steelers defeated the Chiefs 20-12. (George Gojkovich/Getty Images)

"Look who we're talking about. We're talking about Britt Reid. He was the assistant coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, and we're in Kansas City," she told ESPN. "If it was just me, just somebody driving down the road — especially if I was drunk and slammed into his car and he had his child in the car and his child was injured, it would’ve been over for me. My whole life would’ve been over." 

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Ariel Young suffered a traumatic brain injury on Feb. 4, 2021 when prosecutors said Reid, the son of head coach Andy Reid, was intoxicated while driving nearly 20 mph over the speed limit when he crashed his truck into two cars on an entrance ramp to Interstate 435 near Arrowhead Stadium. 

Police said the former coach had a blood-alcohol level of 0.113% two hours after the crash. Ariel was in a coma for 11 days and spent several months in the hospital. 

Felicia Moore hugging her daughter Ariel Young

Felicia Moore, right, put her arm around her daughter, Ariel Young while they waited outside a Jackson County, Missouri, courtroom ON Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022, to learn the sentence handed down to Britt Reid for a DUI conviction. (Tammy Ljungblad/The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

But earlier this month, Parson commuted the remainder of Reid’s three-year sentence, converting the remainder of his time to house arrest. 

ATTORNEY FOR YOUNG GIRL INJURED BY BRITT REID IN DRUNKEN CAR WRECK RIPS DECISION TO COMMUTE JAIL TIME

"We went to court. We [were] told, 'You're going to get justice,'" Miller told ESPN. "He's put away for a year and about three months. So we didn't get [any] justice. It's not enough."

The family’s attorney, Tom Porto, told the outlet that he believed that the governor reached his decision "because he’s a Chiefs fan."

"And when I say fan, I’m not talking about somebody that casually watches them on TV. He’s a guy that’s a season ticket holder. He goes to games, he went to the Super Bowl, he went to the Super Bowl after parties, he went to the Super Bowl parade, the rally — all of the stuff." 

Mike Parsons

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson delivers the State of the State address on Jan. 18, 2023, in Jefferson City, Mo.  (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Parson responded to the criticism following his decision to reduce Reid’s jail time in a statement last week, when he expressed "his deepest sympathy for any additional heartache this commutation has caused the Young Family, as that was certainly not his intention." 

Reid’s house arrest will continue until Oct. 31, 2025, with requirements that include weekly meetings with a parole officer, counseling and community service.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Paulina Dedaj is a Sports Reporter for Fox News Digital.

Authored by Paulina Dedaj via FoxNews March 12th 2024