JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A former NFL player was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison Friday for his involvement in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, the Department of Justice said.
A federal jury found Donald Broomfield, 40, of Jacksonville, guilty of conspiring to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine on Oct. 6, 2015.
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According to court documents, Broomfield began obtaining kilograms of cocaine from a source in Texas in 2010. He then distributed the drugs in Jacksonville and Orlando.
Broomfield, and others he directed, used various vehicles equipped with hidden compartments to transport cocaine.
As part of an on-going investigation, on Aug. 8, 2014, Broomfield was stopped by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office while driving his Chrysler 300. A drug-detecting K-9 unit alerted deputies, and a search revealed 1.6 kilograms of cocaine in a hidden compartment.
The same day, JSO officers searched a residence in Jacksonville, where Broomfield had been storing cocaine for several years. They seized empty wrappers, a cocaine press, digital scales and drug packaging materials.
Testimony at Broomfield’s trial established that he was a leader of the conspiracy and was responsible for the distribution of 50 to 150 kilograms of cocaine.
This was Broomfield’s first felony conviction.
Broomfield was drafted in 1999 by the Cincinnati Bengals and, in 2000, he signed with the Arizona Cardinals. In 2001, he participated in the Jacksonville Jaguars training camp.