Britt Reid commuted sentence faces local criticism
By Jazmine Knight
Britt Reid, son of the Chiefs head coach, was recently released from prison after his sentence was commuted by Gov. Mike Parson.
Gov. Mike Parson recently commuted the sentence of the son of the Chiefs head coach who seriously injured a young girl in a drunken driving crash, and his decision has faced criticism.
Britt Reid, who was drunk at the time, caused a crash in 2021 that severely injured 5-year-old Ariel Young. Reid was released on March 1.
His release caused nationwide backlash due to Reid’s celebrity connections and Parson’s favor toward the Chiefs.
Locally, some residents said they feel the same way. Dale, with the Alano Club of St. Joseph, said while he can’t speak too much on his personal opinion on the situation, he thinks it’s a tragic situation all around.
“It’s a tragic thing all around for the folks that were injured and for, Mr. Reed himself,” he said.
Dale said Reid will have to face the consequences.
“There are things that he’ll have to live with for the rest of his life.”
He also said he believes this situation could have been completely avoidable.
“Things like that that involve alcohol and drugs, are completely preventable if a person doesn’t drink and drive,” he said.
“That substance that affected their mind and body is not going to cause them to do something like that. So it’s tragic all around for everyone.”
While many think Reid’s situation is not fair, Dale said “to put our faith in the judicial system.”
Dale hopes Reid does get the proper treatment that he needs.
“I certainly hope if, Mr. Reed decides that he needs help and he gets the help that he needs. Our thoughts and prayers go to that family, and go to everyone that’s involved in tragedies that happened like that,” he said.
“In a perfect world, those things would not happen. But, you know, we don’t live in a perfect world.”
Reid will serve house arrest following his release until Oct. 31, 2025. The Kansas City Chiefs made an agreement in 2021 to pay for Young’s medical expenses.
