Former NFL football running back Zac Stacy was sentenced to six months in jail and a year of probation this week after being convicted of attacking his ex-girlfriend, an incident that was caught on camera.
The video from 2021 showed him throwing Kristin Evans around like a ragdoll, punching her in the head and throwing her into a flat screen television. Stacy was arrested in November of that year.
Stacy’s sentencing in Orange County, Florida, comes after he pled guilty to two counts of criminal mischief in exchange for getting his three counts of domestic violence battery dropped.
“He punched me several times in the head! I begged him to stop because the baby was on the couch just a few feet from where he punched me,” the woman wrote in the restraining order application. “He then picked me up and threw me into my TV. The TV began to fall and he turned to make sure I wasn’t getting up. As I laid on the floor he began to yell at me, telling me I’m destructive. He then picked me up off the floor and off my feet and body slammed me into our son’s bouncy seat.”
Stacy was a record-setting running back at Vanderbilt University, playing four years for the Commodores. In his 2012 senior season, he was named Second Team All-SEC, and became the first Vanderbilt player to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.
Stacy was drafted in the fifth round of the 2013 draft by the Rams, playing two years in St. Louis. He then played for one season for the New York Jets, where he appeared in eight games. Stacy finished his career with 1,355 rushing yards.
Stacy claimed that prior to the attack he had been treated in rehab for anxiety and depression; he also said that Evans had had an affair with his financial advisor, but he visited her house to support her. He stated, “She knew I was down; she knew I was going through anxiety and depression. She knew I was trying to close this gap that’s between me and my son, and she’s just upset that she got caught, and she’s upset I’m not taking care of him like she expected … And now she took it this far.”
Stacy later issued an apology over the incident, writing, “I am tremendously sorry and I sincerely hope the forgiveness comes down the road. The shame & guilt on my end is heavy & rightfully so. I made devastating mistake & that mistake has affected the people and communities around me that I love so dear.”
“The dynamic of my mental health has never been out in the public because I dealt with it individually & privately … through medications, therapy and coping mechanisms.. healthy & unhealthy,” he added. “Neither here nor there … despite the unknowns & regardless of the outcomes … All I want to do is move forward with peace so I can progress into a better man & father. ZJ I miss you & I love you baby boy, & I’m sorry that I put your mother in this situation .. along with you & I promise I’m going to do everything I can.. even with the little power that I have left .. to be the best papa I can be.”
Hank Berrien contributed to this report.
