Ex-Auburn player Goodwin sentenced to 15 years

OPELIKA, Ala. (AP) -- A judge has sentenced former Auburn football player Antonio Goodwin to 15 years in prison for an armed home-invasion robbery that also resulted in charges against three teammates from the 2010 national championship team.

Lee County Circuit Court Judge Christopher Hughes imposed the sentence Tuesday while Goodwin, 21, stood silently with arms behind his back.

"I want to apologize for my action and my poor judgment," Goodwin said before the sentencing. "In the time I was at home, I had time to think about it and I've become a better person and a better decision-maker."

Goodwin was convicted in April of first-degree robbery in the March 2011 home invasion. The occupants of a mobile home told police they were robbed at gunpoint. No one was injured.

Goodwin's former teammates Mike McNeil, Dakota Moseley and Shaun Kitchens await trial. McNeil was the starting safety on Auburn's national championship squad.

Defense attorney Lauryn Lauderdale requested a probation hearing and said she planned to appeal. Lauderdale said she would also apply for a split sentence if probation is denied, shortening his prison time.

Goodwin, who's from Atlanta, and family held hands in prayer in the hallway while awaiting the judge's ruling, which was in the middle of state sentencing guidelines of 117-255 months.

At times Goodwin laid his head on the table while family members and an Atlanta pastor spoke on his behalf.

Hughes acknowledged that Goodwin's actions were "inconsistent somewhat with his history."

"It is not uncommon for a terrible offense to happen and not be a habit," he said. "The one offense often does have tragic consequences."

Lauderdale had argued that Goodwin was impaired after smoking synthetic marijuana, or spice, the night of the robbery with Kitchens, Moseley and other teammates.