A former National Football League (NFL) player has received a sentence of 10 years to life after pleading guilty to the murder of a 5-year-old girl who was forced to exercise as a punishment for being “chunky”. According to NBC Sports, the child identified as La’Rayah Davis died in April 2019 after being taken to a hospital with at least 100 bruises, including 20 broken ribs and a laceration to her liver that authorities believe killed her. 

The former NFL player Cierre Wood was in a relationship with Amy Taylor, the 5-year-old’s mother, at the time. He was arrested and charged with murder earlier this week. Ms Taylor also pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree murder and felony child abuse as part of the deal with the prosecutor, the outlet reported. 

An investigation into the little girl’s death revealed the details of the extensive abuse she suffered prior to her death. The mother reportedly told the cops that she sat on the child while disciplining her. Wood, on the other hand, claimed that the child fell backwards and hit her head while doing sit-ups. 

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According to an arrest warrant, the former NFL player would “make her run sprints in the apartment, do sit-ups and wall squats”. Woods told the police that he was “trying to get her on the right path due to her being chunky”. On the day of her death, Wood made the child do sit-ups after she did not learn her letters and numbers, he said, per People. 

Wood’s lawyer, however, claimed that it was Amy Taylor who abused the child and Wood was not home when the abuse took place. The mother was sentenced in July to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the murder charge and eight to 20 years on the abuse charge. 

Wood pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and felony child abuse and will be eligible for parole after 10 years. He entered an Alford plea, which is an admission of guilt but also allows him to maintain his innocence.