Former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Rae Carruth was released from prison Monday morning.

Carruth, 44, left the Sampson Correctional Institution in Clinton, North Carolina, at 8 a.m. without speaking to reporters gathered near the exit.

Carruth begins a nine-month post-release program as part of his sentence for plotting the Nov. 16, 1999, shooting of his pregnant girlfriend, Cherica Adams, who died one month later.

Carruth¡¯s son, Chancellor Adams, survived in Adams¡¯ womb but the loss of oxygen and blood caused brain damage. Saundra Adams, Cherica¡¯s mother, has raised her grandson since his birth.

During the release program, Carruth is not permitted to leave the state without permission.

The 1997 first-round pick was an active NFL player when charges were brought in the Adams case.