The End of His Season

A football player tries to outrun charges that he conspired to kill his girlfriend--and unborn son

This was to be Rae Carruth's breakout season. The first-round NFL draft pick for the Carolina Panthers hadn't lived up to the promise he showed in 1997, when he led the league's rookie wideouts with 44 catches and 545 receiving yards. First, a broken foot kept him out for nearly all of the 1998 season; then he was sidelined by a sprained ankle in October. By last week, the only running the 25-year-old wide receiver could do was a graceless flight from charges that he conspired to murder his 6 1/2-months-pregnant girlfriend.

Cherica Adams, 24, was gunned down Nov. 16 while...

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