Washington Commanders’ safety Deshazor Everett has turned himself in at a Virginia jail, facing an involuntary manslaughter charge after his girlfriend Olivia Peters was killed in a car crash.
The 29-year-old Mr Everett sustained severe injuries following the crash on 23 December last year. Ms Peters, also 29, died in hospital. The investigation that followed found that Mr Everett had been driving twice the speed limit, which was 45 mph (72 kph) in the area.
Mr Everett’s Nissan GT-R came off the road in Chantilly, a Virginia suburb of Washington, DC, according to police. The football player turned himself in on Tuesday at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.
According to The Washington Post, Ms Peters was an occupational therapist who had been in a relationship with Mr Everett for quite some time. Ms Peters was from Montgomery County, Maryland, and her Facebook profile stated that she was the founder and owner of OSP Therapy in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to DailyMail.com.
Her family launched a GoFundMe for the Olivia S Peters Pediatric Therapy Foundation “to continue her vision and life’s work of helping any child with special needs reach their full potential through the use of evidence-based practice in fun and engaging life activities”.
“She envisioned utilizing natural settings, such as, local parks, playgrounds and sports courts to create collaborative environments across multiple disciplines to maximize children’s continual growth,” the family wrote on the page. “It is now our vision to build on this mission and see it through.”
The Post reported that Mr Everett posted the $10,000 bond and was released, according to a statement from his lawyer, Kaveh Nourishad.
“Our team continues to investigate this matter as we intend on vigorously defending Mr Everett against these allegations,” the attorney said. “We continue to ask that judgment be reserved until all facts are fully investigated and litigated in the proper forum. At this time we cannot comment any further due to the pending litigation.”
A press release from the Sheriff stated that the 2010 Nissan rolled over after hitting several trees when it came off the roadway at around 9.15pm on 23 December. Ms Peters was pronounced dead at Stone Springs Hospital Center.
Mr Everett’s season ended when he was put on the Commanders’ non-football injury list after suffering injuries that were not life-threatening.
“We are aware of these charges and are continuing to monitor the situation. We will have no further comment at this time,” the Commanders said in a statement.
According to The Post, a man who was driving ahead of Mr Everett when the crash occurred told a 911 dispatcher in a partly redacted call that the football player’s vehicle was “trapped in the trees” and to “please hurry”.
Mr Everett joined the Washington football team in 2015 after first signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he was a college free agent. Quickly becoming a vital special teams player and safety reserve, he totalled 154 tackles, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles in 89 games. He has one year left on his contract, but The Post reported that his salary of $1.8m isn’t guaranteed.
