WebGreg. "I am excited to announce that I have been offered a D1 full ride scholarship to play football for [Eastern Michigan]!!" "I want to give back," he said. According to the lawsuit filed in May and obtained by the Austin American-Statesman, Kelley alleges that Daileydid not verify Kelley's location the day of the assault, did not investigate other suspects, falsified information about when the assault happened and deleted emails about the case. [11], Decider considered whether to "Stream It Or Skip It" and called to "Stream It" as did 73.5% on their Twitter poll. "It's what I love. That summer, a 4-year-old boy who attended the McCarty daycare accused Kelley of molesting him. It was definitely hard. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. In support of Kelley, a supporting groundswell emerged that called into question the small-town police force, their investigation, the prosecution's tactics, and ultimately the validity of the conviction[2] in one of the most controversial cases the county had ever seen. In 2013, in the sprawling Texas suburbs of Leander, north of Austin, a standout high school football star by the name of Greg Kelley was I'm still waiting for that decision from Texas, to see if I'm going to be a walk-on this fallif we have a fall season.". Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Give me a shot.' He is 25 years old. [E]ven though I didn't technically have a senior year as a normal high school student, the past is the past and the future is limitless. He entered the transfer portal, and within two weeks, he was an Eastern Michigan Eagle. Facebook; Twitter; Facebook Messenger; Pinterest; Email; print; Greg Kelley, a former Texas high school football player who was legally exonerated last November following a wrongful conviction in 2014 in a child sexual assault case, has signed with Eastern Michigan on a football scholarship. But there are no assurances, especially now in a global pandemic that might put the college football season in jeopardy. It's testimony, so how does a prosecutor overcome that? Almost two years later, the appeals court agreed, sent their decision back to the district court to formally dismiss the indictment, and King declared an emotional Kelley "formally exonerated.". Kelleyparticipated in a walk-on tryout for hisschool's football teamin the spring,Texas Athletics officialstoldKVUE. WebInto Greg Kelley's senior year in Leander, Texas, he was arrested, convicted, and jailed for sexual assault of a four-year-old boy, and later for a second child, who both attended day "Everything that happens to me from here on out is a blessing. It's crazy! Greg Kelley, a former Texas high school football player who was legally exonerated last November following a wrongful conviction in 2014 in a child sexual Dickstated publicly in 2017 that his office had failed Kelley,The Austin American-Statesman reported that year. "You had no idea who I was after my conviction," Kelley saidin court on the day of his exoneration. Is Kelly Gregg in the Hall of Fame? It really does. ", Catch Justin Sylvester's interview with Greg Kelley on the Aug. 19 episode of E! The Showtime mini-series premiered on July 5, 2020. And I believe you should do the thing that makes you happy and gives you peace. And so, in 2017, he filed for a re-trial and was released from prison in August on bond. As of now, the Big 12 hasn't canceled football season due to COVID-19, unlike some of the other major college football conferences. Greg Kelley may soon get a new trial after his sexual-assault conviction. But while that was the outcome Kelley had been praying for, his life hasn't simply snapped back to normal. We all agree that if [this person] committed the offense, then Greg's conviction should certainly be reversed.". Both just 17 at the time, thetrialmade them grow up fast. Shortly after entering the NCAA transfer portal in September, Kessler announced that he received a full-ride scholarship to Eastern Michigan. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Kelley was enrolled at Texas and was preparing to try to walk on the football team, but right as that was about to happen, COVID-19 hit, and Texas halted the walk-on section: | slug: greg-kelley-to-play-football-at-eastern-michigan-after-wrongful-child-sex-crime-conviction-was-overturned | sport: collegefootball | route: article_single.us | He made the announcement on an Instagram post uploaded on Saturday. That commitment eventually landed him at Eastern Michigan, where Neal Neathery is defensive coordinator. It gave me a little bit more hope. ", Kelley also said that day, "I was given my freedom and I'm happy with it." "I choose to forgive, not for the people that did me wrong, but for myself, so I can continue to go forward," Kelley said Thursday in an interview with The Detroit News, his first public comments since officially committing to Eastern last week. From the first day in my heart, I knew he didn't do this." News. He's won titles and has now coached the Lancers to 741 victories. It almost feels like my entire life was put on pause and I entered this blackhole and got spit out when I was 25 years old. An attorney for Cummings told theAmerican-Statesmanthatshe didn't have any evidence against this third person when she was on the case, but "it is significant that they are now saying that he is the one who did this. Keith Hampton hadalleged inKelley's appeal that theaccused'strial lawyer, Patricia Cummings, had not adequately defended him, namely by refusing to take a harder look at McCarty as a possible suspect due to a conflict of interest, having representedmembers of the McCarty family some years prior. What I found was the fact that Greg Kelley was a star high school football player in Texas worked as a double-edged sword for him. Greg Kelley to play football for Eastern Michigan after exoneration for wrongful conviction In 2014, a judge sentenced Kelley to 25 years in prison for child He's surprised he wasnever stabbed, he said, but not a day went by where he didn't have to defend himself. He's determined to. Therefore, even though there was no concrete evidence, apart from his name, and that there was another probable suspect, Jonathan McCarty, Greg was sentenced to 25 years in prison without parole and with only the right to file for a new trial. "We believe that much of Greg's youth has been taken away from him and we want to give him the opportunity to live out his dream of playing Division I football," Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton said Saturday, per ESPN. "Greg has been training with the NFL athletes and waiting for the opportunity to play for UT," Gaebri tweeted on Thursday. Greg Kelley, a former Texas high school football player who had his 2014 conviction in a child sexual assault case overturned due to a faulty investigation, will play Separate from his own civil suit, Kelley is also eligible toreceive as much as $250,000 through the state'sWrongful Incarceration Act, according to his attorney. He's currently enrolled as a student atthe University of Texas at Austin,KVUEreports. Leander, TX. We wanted to make sure that this guy did not want to come right next door to y'all's town, because I know you guys love your town just like we love ours, and do this to somebody else. WebA five-part documentary series examining the gripping story of high school football star Greg Kelley who was arrested, convicted and jailed for sexual assault of a 4-year-old Still, none of that changesthat he spent almost seven years, including three behind bars, with a cloud ofguilt hanging over his head. In 2013, Greg Kelley, a high school football star, was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a four-year-old. Court documents filed by Hamptonin December 2018 stated that they also had athird suspect, whose name was not made public,who hada prior arrest on a charge of indecency with a child and had also lived in the home where the abuseallegedly took place. All rights reserved. Former Texas running back Jeremy Hills, a trainer with clients including Earl Thomas III and Landon Collins, has been training Kelley since he moved back to Austin last fall. Kelly Michael Gregg (born November 1, 1976) is a radio personality and a former American football nose tackle. He currently contributes to various radio programs in Oklahoma City on 107.7 "The Franchise". He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oklahoma . In the fall, after signing with Eastern Michigan, Kelley told The News, "I feel like I'm a 19-year-old kid again.". Because the child was so small, they moved forwarded immediately and arrested Greg Kelley, the only known Greg who had been at that house. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Kelley'sconviction wasvacated in November 2019. I hit the jackpot. Birthplace. Based on the boys outcry, the police suspected that the incident occurred on July 12. The wild journey of Greg Kelley, once a highly recruited high school football star before he spent more than 1,000 days in prison for a sex crime for which he later was fully exonerated,is adding another chapter. News. Chip Brown of Horns247 contributed to this story. "Imagine not being able to kiss or hug the person you love. Over six years ago, Greg Kelley, an 18-year-old at the time, was wrongfully convicted of sexual assault and sentenced to 25 years in prison. He spent three years in prison before his innocence was finally proven in 2019. Skip to main content News Football Since he moved back to Austin last fall, Kelley has been working out with former Texas running back Jeremy Hills, an elite football trainer. Kelley hasn't played a football game since his junior year of high school in Leander, Texas, in 2013. I myself was losing hope, but all these people started believing in me and they started to say, 'Hey, Greg, we're here for you man, we love you, we're gonna get you through this.' Kelley fought the charges but was convicted in 2014 of two counts of super aggravated sexual assault and sentenced to 25 years in prison. I had friends since I was a baby who were saying, 'I can't believe you are sticking by him.' He was arrested during his senior year based on a sexual abuse allegation by a 4-year-old child in an in-home day care at a home where Kelley was staying with a friend and his family. "The physical was taken away from us," Gaebri, a cheerleader in high school who now teaches at a dance studio near Cedar Park, told thePost. "Those guys taught me so much about getting through and persevering through such a place full of hatred and violence, and racists. "I've gotta continue to live life.". Saying things they can't and they won't take back and, still to this day, I continue to get persecuted, and it breaks my heart. LSU coach Brian Kellys second-year roster includes 36 returning letterwinners and 26 players who started at least one game a year ago. In May 2017, newly elected Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick agreed to reopen the investigation, and that August, Kelley was released on a $50,000 bond. In May 2017, newly elected Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick agreed to reopen the investigation, and that August, Kelley was released on a $50,000 bond. It really does. All the while, he insisted he was innocent. ", Anderson, 24, told theNew York Post last month, "It was crazy. (In an unrelated case, Johnathan was sentenced to four years in prison last yearafter pleadingguilty to unlawful restraint and drug charges. I played at Texas, and athletically, GK fits in as a scholarship player - not just a walk-on.". Almost two years later, the appeals court agreed, sent their decision back to the district court to formally dismiss the indictment, and King declared an emotional Kelley "formally exonerated.". The former high school football star, whose story was just told in the Showtime documentary seriesOutcry, spent three years in prison for a crime he didn't commit and, even after his release in 2017, he was only formally exonerated this past November. "I want to give back," he said. Agirlhadaccused him of drugging and assaulting her at a frat party in 2015, when she was 15 and he was 18.). Neathery recruited Kelley to UTSA, as its defensive coordinator. All rights reserved. wife Gaebri, who supported him throughout the whole ordeal, before his conviction was officially vacated while she attended the Broadway Dance Center. Where was Kelly Gregg born? A presumption of innocence until proven guilty may be the law, but that's not often the way people think. Kelley, a safety, was verbally committed to play football at Texas-San Antonio before his arrest and wrongful conviction. Kelley's case was documented in this summer's five-part Showtime documentary, "Outcry.". Kelley's other defenders pointed out that both the high schooler's original lawyer and the prosecution made missteps by not looking at all the evidence including neglecting to interview McCarty, who happened to look just like Kelley. As he works on putting his world back together, buoyed by his faith and all the lovein his life(including from his now-wife Gaebri Anderson, thehigh school girlfriend who stuck by him throughouthisordeal), he's alsosuing thecity of Cedar Park, formerPolice Chief Sean Mannix and Sgt. The last football game Kelley played was in the Texas state playoffs. Support local journalism, and subscribe here. He had proposed to her in 2017 just a day after a Texas judge ordered to vacate his conviction. Christopher Dailey, who was the lead investigator on his case. Saying things they can't and they won't take back and, still to this day, I continue to get persecuted, and it breaks my heart. He finally was exonerated by Texas' court of appeals in November, and signed to play football with Eastern Michigan last week. Shama McCarty, Johnathan's mother, ran an in-home daycare, the scene of the alleged sexual assault. We weren't really scared going into the trial. ESPN Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. I knew what kind of person he was. News. "Imagine not being able to kiss or hug the person you love. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He was compensated more than a half-million dollars for his wrongful conviction,as well as free college, but he still was on scholarship at Eastern Michigan. Kelley is also continuing with his education. Gregory has since also founded a company by the name of Tomahawk Targets, which makes custom axe throwing boards and corn hole sets, and has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the City of Cedar Park and several of its officers for his wrongful conviction. ", Strangers really did come out of the woodwork. But he's also busy simply enjoying his freedom. Shama McCarty, Johnathan's mother, ran an in-home daycare, the scene of the alleged sexual assault. Between Kelley, his family and his fiance, the tears wereflowing. Kelly Gregg has not been elected into the ", But though Kelley is committed to holding the parties he feels are responsible for damaging his life"financially, emotionally, mentally, physically"accountable, he told E! Greg Kelley, a former Texas high school football player who was legally exonerated last November following a wrongful conviction in 2014 in a child sexual assault case, has signed with Eastern Michigan on a football scholarship. Give me a shot.' This was an actual ballplayer.". This was not a situation where we felt sorry for him. In July 2014, Greg went to trial on two counts of indecency with a child and two counts of super aggravated sexual assault. at the time. Texas Ranger Cody Mitchell, tasked with leading the new investigation in 2017, testified that August that he had determined that the Cedar Park Police had botched the original investigation. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Kelley had publicly expressed his hope that Dailey and Mannix would be fired, telling reporters outsideBurnet City Hall,"The reason why we wanted this to happen guys is because it's not about me, it's about the next person. "He is a student there and ready to take the field. That case is pending. The suit contends that Daileywas told Kelley hadn't lived at the McCarty home since June 2013 but changed the date to make it look as if he was still there on the July date the assault was alleged to have occurred. "Trying to go recreate a case involving small children years later, memories fade, change and its just almost impossible to go back and actually do justice in that case," he continued, explaining how a flawed prosecution can rob victims of true justice. Kelley has since received a wrongful-conviction settlement from the state of Texas, and is suing the police department that targeted him from the beginning and never looked at other suspects. 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