Photo: Instagram
He is accused of raping a 12-year-old girl.
By Amy Lamare — Written on Oct 17, 2018
A former NFL hopeful has been accused of sexually assaulting a child. Justin Crawford, 23, was arrested on Saturday, October 13th, and charged with sodomy, aggravated child molestation, incest, and enticing a child for indecent purposes. He confessed to the crime but he claims that it was the 12-year-old girl's idea to have sex. Crawford, who was cut from the Atlanta Falcons earlier this season, is being held without bond at the Muscogee County Jail in Georgia. Who is Justin Crawford?
1. Football
Justin Crawford was a stand-out high school and college running back. He played college football at West Virginia University for two seasons. In the 2016-2017 season he rushed for 2,245 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was not selected by an NFL team in the 2018 draft. Crawford signed as an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Falcons on May, 1, 2018. He was cut by the Falcons on September 1st. This season he has been playing for the Atlanta Legends of the Alliance of American Football.
2. Saturday night
Around 4am or 5am on Saturday, October 13, 2018, Justin's wife Chakeya Crawford saw him standing over a 12-year-old girl who was staying with them. He had an erection. When Justin saw his wife, he ran out of the living room and into the kitchen to cover up. Crawford's wife later told the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer that she only saw her husband exposing himself to the child. She said, “I did not see anyone having sex, or I would have called police right away."
3. The child's story
On Saturday, the 12-year-old girl told her mother that Justin Crawford came into the living room where she was sleeping. She said he forced her to perform oral sex. She said they also had intercourse. Crawford initially denied the girl's claims but then admitted that he did have sex with her, but that it had all been her idea.
4. They are related
The relationship between Crawford and the 12-year-old girl is not known. However, Crawford is facing a charge of incest, which would indicate that the two are related. The state of Georgia defines incest as engaging in “sexual intercourse or sodomy ... with a person whom he or she knows he or she is related to either by blood or by marriage.”
5. What's next
A sexual assault kit was performed on the girl to preserve DNA evidence. If convicted, Crawford faces prison time and will most certainly have to register as a sexual predator. According to Georgia law, a person convicted of incest “shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than 10 nor more than 30 years." However, in Crawford’s case, since the girl was 12, he faces a minimum of 25 to a maximum of 50 years on the incest charge alone.
6. Suspended
The Atlanta Legends of the Alliance of American Football suspended Crawford after his arrest. A pending contract with the American Football League was canceled after Crawford's arrest.
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Amy Lamare is a Los Angeles based freelance writer covering entertainment, pop culture, beauty, fashion, fitness, technology, and the intersection of technology, business, and philanthropy. She is deeply devoted to her chocolate Labrador and an avid long distance runner. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook.