Former Oregon tight end Colt Lyerla was sentenced to six months in jail on Wednesday, court records show.
Lyerla pleaded guilty to two counts of forgery after he was accused of using counterfeit $50 bills at stores in March. Washington County prosecutors added the forgery charges after Lyerla was arrested for heroin possession on March 27.
Colt Lyerla was arrested for heroin possession in Washington County on March 27, 2017. (Washington County courthouse)
Prosecutors agreed to drop the heroin possession charge and another forgery charge as part of the plea deal.
Lyerla has been previously convicted in separate cases of cocaine possession and heroin possession, but this will be his first significant jail sentence.
The former standout football player will serve one year of probation and enter drug treatment after his jail sentence is completed.
At his sentencing Wednesday, Lyerla told the judge that he plans to leave jail as a “better person and a better man,” The Oregonian reported.
Lyerla was one of the highest rated recruits in Oregon history, receiving over 30 division I offers and playing in the 2010 U.S. Army All-American game.
He played two seasons under Oregon head coach Chip Kelly, before quitting the team during Mark Helfrich’s first season as coach in 2013. Shortly after leaving the team, Lyerla was arrested for cocaine possession, and has had repeated run-ins with the law ever since.
For more background on Lyerla, click here.
Follow Jack Pitcher on Twitter @jackpitcher20.
