Former Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid has been charged with DWI in connection to a multi-vehicle accident that left a five-year-old girl critically injured in February.
Yesterday afternoon The Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced that Reid, 35, has been charged with DWI-Serious Physical Injury, a class D felony with a potential jail sentence of one to seven years.
Andy Reid has long been known as a “players coach”, a leader who prioritizes personalities and encourages individuals to be themselves. He is also known for his willingness to take a risk on players that other coaches will not. Even back in his days in Philadelphia, players such as Terrell Owens and Michael Vick found their way onto Reid’s roster. Being a devout husband, father and religious man nobody can blame the Chiefs’ head coach for constantly trying to make positive changes in player’s lives.
As is often the case, Reid has been measured by the highs and lows rather than by the sum of the parts. For the most part he has been extremely successful in turning around players and keeping them on the straight and narrow. Sure, there have been situations that didn’t end well such as Kareem Hunt or lesser known players such as Justin Cox. Reid has earned the benefit of the doubt from Chiefs fans as year after year the organization drafts players who have off the field concerns. However, Andy Reid’s biggest project might have been his biggest failure…
Britt Reid is a 35 year old man; he alone is responsible for the horrific accident that occurred in February and the subsequent life altering injuries to a 5 year old girl. Britt chose to drink and drive, despite having countless resources at his disposal to get home safely. Britt has a past plagued with addiction and crime, all of which factor into the ultimate question: Why was he a member of the Chiefs coaching staff? This is where the problem falls at Andy Reid’s feet.
Not many people get the opportunity to make hundreds of thousands of dollars annually after having such a troubled past. Unless, you have the right last name.. There is zero doubt that Britt Reid would not have been an NFL coach if his last name was not what it is. Andy chose to put him on the coaching staff, and he was also one of the only defensive coaches to retain his position after the overhaul to the defense in 2019. It’s fair to say that Andy had good intentions with Britt, after he lost one son to addiction he did everything he could to not lose another. Putting Britt on the coaching staff might have been the best choice for him personally at the time, but it’s hard to imagine it was the best choice for the organization.
Britt was the least qualified of any of the defensive coaches on the Chiefs staff and coached two position groups that struggled (defensive line in 2018 and outside linebackers in 2020). Despite all of his history and shortcomings as a coach, he continued to be handed a precious opportunity. Which he wasted. Andy Reid did not drive drunk, but he did expose the organization to; a mediocre coach, nepotism, and an extreme distraction hours before the Super Bowl.
Ultimately, for the Chiefs it might have cost them their third championship. Who knows, that offensive line might not have been able to block no matter what happened, but there is no arguing that the Chiefs were not focused in Tampa. For Andy Reid ,it might have cost him his legacy and reputation as a coach. For Britt Reid it will cost him millions of dollars, and potentially seven years of his life. The ultimate price was paid by an innocent little girl who hadn’t even completed kindergarten…
Britt Reid will be held accountable for his actions, criminally and almost certainly civically as well. Although Andy Reid did nothing illegal or immoral, he still exposed the franchise to a major distraction in a crucial time for the organization. Nobody can blame him for trying to keep a close eye on his only son, but perhaps handing him a coveted NFL coaching position wasn’t the way to do it? It’s more than likely that the Reid family could have found many other solutions to support Britt’s needs.
The bottom line is Britt Reid, not Andy Reid made a horrible mistake and will have to answer for his choices. Ariel’s life will forever be changed because of what Britt did, she may never be able to run, walk, feed herself, or have children of her own because a millionaire couldn’t get an Uber. All of this is horrible and truthfully, hard to write about. All of us at Arrowhead Live continue to wish the best for the Miller family and Ariel, as they continue to seek the best care for her and justice for her as well. If you are interested in supporting Ariel the link can be found here.
