After 17 years in prison, Rae Carruth became a free man Monday morning.
The former University of Colorado and Carolina Panthers wide receiver was released from the Sampson Correctional Institution in Clinton, North Carolina, Monday after serving a sentence for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
Carruth, a once promising NFL star, has instead spent nearly the last two decades behind bars for plotting to kill the mother of his unborn child, Cherica Adams, in November 1999. He was convicted in January 2001.
A 1997 graduate of CU, Carruth was named a first-team All-American in 1996 and played alongside quarterback Kordell Stewart.
He was a first-round Draft pick by the Panthers and played three NFL seasons, the most notable his rookie 1997 season in which he played 15 games, recording 44 receptions for 545 yards and four touchdowns.