Rae Carruth is a free man. The former NFL wide receiver was released from prison Monday after serving more than 18 years for conspiring to murder the mother of his unborn child. The Carolina Panthers’ 1997 first-round draft pick was released from Sampson Correctional Institution in Clinton, North Carolina, after completing his sentence of 18 to 24 years. Carruth did not speak to reporters as he left prison wearing a knit cap and an unzipped jacket on a chilly morning with temperatures in the high 30s.