'American Ninja Warrior' Champion Drew Drechsel Sentenced for Child Sex Crimes

Drechsel was sentenced to just over 10 years in prison, plus 15 years of supervised release and a $100,000 fine.

By Michael Hein

Former American Ninja Warrior star Drew Drechsel was sentenced to 10 years in prison last week for child sex crimes. The athlete and reality star was first arrested in 2020 for having relations with a teenage girl in 2014, and the case was finally finished on Wednesday, June 26. Drechsel was sentenced to 121 months in prison, and he will be on probation for even longer afterward.

Drechsel lived in Hamden, Connecticut, at the time of his crime, while his victim lived in New Jersey according to a report by PEOPLE. The girl was 14 or 15 years old, while Drechsel was 25 or 26 years old at the time. In 2019, Drechsel moved to Florida, which is where he was arrested. Investigators obtained a warrant to search his phone in August of 2020 and discovered child pornography, as well as videos and text messages showing he had carried out a relationship with a person too young to consent.

Drechsel was charged with one count of receiving child pornography and one count of knowingly persuading, inducing, enticing and coercing a minor to travel interstate to engage in sexual activity. He reportedly met the victim through the sports associated with American Ninja Warrior. Drechsel worked at a parkour gym in Hamden at the time, and even hosted regional competitions that drew fans of the TV show from surrounding states.

According to prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Drechsel admitted to carrying out this relationship and pleaded guilty. Drechsel has not commented publicly on his case in recent years. Both the obstacle sports and the TV series have moved on from him, omitting him from most broadcasts.

NBC gave a statement to The Hollywood Reporter at the time of Drechsel's arrest, saying: "American Ninja Warrior is a family show that has inspired countless people, and we will not let the actions of one contestant tarnish the hard work and amazing stories of so many. Moving forward, the American Ninja Warrior brand will sever all ties with Mr. Drechsel, including his appearance on future seasons of the show."

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Severing ties with Drechsel in 2020 was especially shocking to fans since he had just won the series in 2019, making him only the third person to achieve "Total Victory" in the American version of the show. American Ninja Warrior is based on a Japanese competition series called Sasuke (a.k.a. Ninja Warrior), and it uses a nearly identical format for its four iconic "stages" in the final competition. In all 41 seasons of Sasuke, four competitors have completed all four stages. As of 2023, four athletes have completed all four stages in American Ninja Warrior as well, including Drechsel.

American Ninja Warrior Season 16 is airing now on Monday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. Previous seasons are streaming now on Peacock. It's unclear when Drechsel's prison term will begin.

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