Report: Ex-Cal LB Mychal Kendricks Sentenced to 1 Day in Jail

The light sentence for insider trading will allow the free agent to continue his NFL career -- if anyone is willing to sign him

Former Cal linebacker Mychal Kendricks was sentenced Thursday to one day in jail, three years of probation and 300 hours of community service as a result of his pleading guilty in 2018 to insider trading charges, ESPN reported.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Kendricks must also pay a $100,000 fine.

Kendricks' sentencing has been postponed at least a half dozen times over several years before finally being rendered this week.

(Click here for the details of the government's case against Kendricks.)

Kendricks' agent, Doug Hendrickson, told ESPN that Kendricks is serving his one day in jail on Thursday, but being free of further jail time will allow Kendricks to continue his NFL career. He played one game for Washington last season before becoming an unrestricted free agent again.

Kendricks had said after the 2020 season that he still wanted to play pro football and now he presumably will try to sign with a team in need of an experienced inside linebacker.

"Clearly, Mychal is very happy with the outcome and he's ready to continue playing football for someone," Hendrickson told ESPN.

Kendricks could have faced up the 25 years in prison after pleading guilty on Sept. 6, 2018 to insider trading that netted him $1.2 million, but ESPN reported federal guidelines suggest he is more likely to be sentenced to 30 to 37 months in prison.

Kendricks’ co-defendant, TV writer Damilare Sonoiki, was sentenced to three years of probation, which is basically the same sentence Kendricks received from Judge Gene Pratter in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, located in Philadelphia.

The legal problems and a serious knee injury have limited Kendricks’ NFL playing time in recent years, and it remains unclear whether he will be able to restart his pro career.

Kendricks was a second-round pick in 2012 NFL draft after being named the Pac-12 defensive player of the year in his final season at Cal in 2011. He was a starter for the Philadelphia Eagles for his first six NFL seasons, but he was suspended for eight games in 2018 by the NFL after he pleaded guilty.

He returned in the 2018 season and played four games that season for the Seattle Seahawks. He was elevated to a starting role for the Seahawks in 2019, and played the first 14 games that season before he suffered a torn anterior-cruciate ligament in his knee that ended his season.

Kendricks becamse a free agent after the 2019 season and was medically cleared to resume football in June 2020.

The Seahawks signed him to their practice squad in October 2020. Washington needed help at the linebacker spot because of injuries at the position, and Washington signed Kendricks off the Seahawks practice squad on Dec. 21, 2020.

Kendricks signed a one-year, $1.05 million contract with Washington, but the prorated deal brought Kendricks just $123,529.

He played eight plays in Jan. 9 game against Tampa Bay, and that is his only playing time since his knee injury.

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Cover photo of Mychal Kenricks by Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports