Mr Daniel was hit by Akins, who was driving his seven-year-old daughter to a piano lesson.
Akins had pulled out into the path of Mr Daniel, who had been cycling home from work.
In a victim impact statement, Mr Daniel’s wife, Savanna, said his death had been “like hell and a nightmare I’m not waking up from”.
She criticised Akins for not pleading guilty at the first opportunity, but said she did not want him to go to jail.
“We do not need any more lives to be destroyed by this,” she said.
Akins was a Mansfield player when the crash happened and he continued to play for the Nottinghamshire club afterwards.
After pleading guilty at Leeds Crown Court on 4 March he started a league match just hours later.
He made a further eight appearances for the club – and even started in an international match for Grenada against Russia in Moscow last month – before he was sentenced last week.
Akins has played professionally for 18 years and counts Huddersfield, Burton, Tranmere and Stevenage as well as Scottish sides Hamilton Academical and Partick Thistle among his former clubs.
He has just two months of his Mansfield contract remaining, having signed a new one-year deal after helping them win promotion from League Two last season.
Akins’ future beyond the summer remains uncertain.
“That will be discussed,” said Clough.
“Nothing will be decided immediately. Everybody is just digesting what was an unbelievable shock this week.
“There is talk of him maybe appealing, so we we will see what happens in the next week or two.”
Read full article at source
Stay informed about this story by subscribing to our regular Newsletter
