Zac Stacy jailed for assaulting ex-girlfriend

Zac Stacy and Kristin Evans (via Orange County Corrections Dept. and Instagram screenshot)

Former NFL running back Zac Stacy, 31, will serve six months behind bars for committing two vicious assaults on his ex-girlfriend – one of which was caught on tape and quickly went viral. Footage showed the massive professional athlete brutally throwing the victim through her home in front of her then 5-month-old son.

On Monday, an Orange County, Fla., judge sentenced Stacy to six months in prison after pleading guilty to two counts in the assaults on Kristin Evans, both of which took place in 2021, authorities confirmed to Law&Crime. In addition to his imprisonment, Stacy was given a one-year suspended sentence upon his release.

The former St. Louis Rams and New York Jets player allegedly fled the state of Florida after authorities issued an arrest warrant for him in November 2021 on aggravated domestic violence and criminal mischief charges, Daytona Beach NBC affiliate WESH reported. He was arrested by police shortly after disembarking from a plane that arrived at Orlando International Airport about a week later.

According to WESH, as part of a plea bargain, prosecutors agreed to drop the battery charges if Stacy pleaded guilty.

Video of Stacy’s attack on his child’s mother was released by Evans, who said at the time she believed it was the only way to end his abusive behavior.

“That was just the last straw, I would say. I really feel like he’s going to kill me if this continues,” Evans said told Orlando Fox daughter WOFL.

In the clip, Stacy Evans first appeared to punch Evans twice in the head, leaving her slumped helplessly on the couch with her hands raised in a defensive stance. Stacy then appeared to reach forward and lift her up with both hands by her stomach, and in one motion he appeared to throw the woman across the room like a rag doll and crash her into a flat screen TV, which then fell on top of her.

Evans could be heard repeatedly asking Stacy to stop. But the former fifth-round draft pick appeared to go to Evans’ landing and violently lift her off the ground, only to smack her into a baby walker, which collapsed on her.

Despite the brutality her ex-boyfriend endured, Evans said Tuesday that Stacy had made great strides in improving his behavior and advocated continued mental health treatment rather than jail time for her son’s benefit.

“The prison does not provide resources needed for mental health patients. It’s not rehabilitating,” she said wrote on Instagram. “I have not advocated incarceration because of the lack of resources, rehabilitation, mental health education and the psychological impact that could have on our son as he has already developed a relationship with his father.”

Evans said she had “no idea how the world works” when she decided to post the video of Stacy attacking her, but said she felt extremely vulnerable and Stacy “showed no remorse” at the time. However, she said he has since sought cognitive-behavioral therapy and has “consistently shown improvement” over the past six months.

“So please give me a little understanding that I’m not making it easy with Zac, I’m trying to protect our son from further trauma,” she continued. “People who are willing to put in the work to get better deserve an opportunity to show they can get better. Especially with a diagnosable mental illness and significant football-related head trauma.”

It’s not clear when Stacy is scheduled to begin his sentence.

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