Bob Condotta

The Seattle Times

Former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Brandon Browner was sentenced to eight years in California state prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to an attempted murder charge in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Pomona, according to reports from TMZ and the Los Angeles Times.

Browner was charged in July for an incident that occurred in La Verne, Calif. A news release from the La Verne Police Department detailed the charges, which stemmed from an incident in which Browner was alleged to have broken into his former girlfriend’s home and smothered her in a carpet.

Browner also was charged with robbery, burglary and false imprisonment, all felonies, as well as two misdemeanor counts of child endangerment.

According to the TMZ report, Browner pleaded no contest to one count of attempted murder and one count of willful child endangerment. In exchange, the remaining charges (robbery, burglary and false imprisonment) were dropped, according to TMZ.

TMZ also reported that Browner was remanded into custody during the hearing and is back behind bars, receiving credit for 300 days for good behavior during the time he’s been imprisoned. He’s been in custody since the arrest in July.

Browner was accused of breaking through a locked window and stealing his former girlfriend’s $20,000 Rolex watch. Her two children were present when the alleged abuse occurred. Browner fled the scene but was later arrested without further incident.

Browner was reported to have had an earlier domestic violence charge involving the victim and had a restraining order prohibiting contact. The Los Angeles Times reported in July that Browner pleaded no contest in June to misdemeanor charges of battery and cruelty to a child by inflicting injury.

According to the Times, prosecutors alleged that Browner inflicted “unjustifiable pain and mental suffering” against the women’s 2-year-old and used “force and violence” against her. Browner was sentenced to one day in jail, three years of probation, 48 hours of community service and an order requesting him to stay away from the victims for three years.

Browner, now 34, played for the Seahawks from 2011-13, signing as a free agent before the 2011 season after playing for Calgary in the CFL. He teamed with Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas to form what became one of the best secondaries in the NFL, dubbed the Legion of Boom.

Browner, who also played at Oregon State and had a brief stint with Denver in 2005-06 before heading to the CFL, was named to the Pro Bowl following the 2011 season.

Browner did not play in the Super Bowl following the 2013 season, suffering a groin injury against the Falcons and was suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

After becoming a free agent following the 2013 season, he signed with the Patriots and played against the Seahawks in the Super Bowl following the 2014 season.

He spent the 2015 season with the Saints. After being released, he re-signed with Seattle in the spring of 2016, with the Seahawks envisioning using him as a safety. But that didn’t pan out and the Seahawks cut Browner in August, 2016. He did not play again in the NFL.