Former NFL running back Eric Wilkerson will spend at least 12 years in prison after admitting his part in a fatal stabbing.
The 56-year-old, who played one game for the Pittsburgh Steelers and was a standout talent in college for Kent State, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence after the death of 46-year-old Brian Weems III in Ohio last year.
Wilkerson was initially indicted on charges of aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault and tampering with records, but pleaded guilty to lesser charges last week. The remaining six charges were dropped.
Cleveland native Wilkerson was sentenced on Monday at Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court to up to 17 years and six months behind bars, with a minimum of 12 before he will be considered for release on probation.
Police concluded Weems died in an incident at an apartment in February 2022, with the men getting involved in an argument before Wilkerson stabbed him multiple times and fled the scene, according to FOX 8 Cleveland.
Wilkerson caught the eye at Cleveland Central Catholic High School in the early 1980s and he played for Kent State from 1985-88, winning the Mid-American Conference MVP and the Offensive Player of the Year in 1987.
He remains second on the school's all-time rushing rankings with 3830 yards and 36 touchdowns, but he was not selected in the NFL Draft. Wilkerson joined the Steelers in 1989 and played in his one and only NFL career game, later signing with the Detroit Lions but he did not see the field.
He went on to play for the New Jersey Knights in the World League of American Football for two seasons from 1991-92 before joining the Cleveland Thunderbolts in the Arena Football League in 1993.
