His name wasn't cleared yet, but the young man was feeling hopeful. It's crazy! But he's also busy simply enjoying his freedom. Eastern Michigan wasn't sure what to expect from him on the field, given he hadn't played in years, but the potential was there to make an impact, coachesagreed. Exonerated Kelley, 25, will play for E. Michigan, Breaking down the latest in 2024 football recruiting, from top commits to March visits, The Turnover Luck Index: Rating every 2022 team, from USC to Rutgers, ACC boss: Rule changes backed by FBS leaders, Stoops: QB Leary (pec) 'close to full go' for UK, Hall of Fame coach Ault named to CFP committee, Top draft prospect Carter charged in fatal crash, New NCAA president readies for NIL, legal issues, Ex-Vols staffers agree to show-cause penalties, UNC hires ex-Browns HC Kitchens as assistant, Kiper's updated NFL mock draft: Who's moving up for a QB? He debated whether to continue pursuing football or moving on in life, but ultimately decided to stick with it. ", Shawn Dicktold reporters a few weeks later, "Wewere able at least to get to the truth of whether or not Greg Kelley should have been convicted and whether or not the trial was held appropriately. 2023 www.detroitnews.com. "I am excited to announce that I have been offered a D1 full ride scholarship to play football for [Eastern Michigan]!!" It gave me a little bit more hope. Is Kelly Gregg in the Hall of Fame? "He is a student there and ready to take the field. District Judge Donna King recommended in December 2017 that Kelley's conviction be overturned, writing in her decision that the state wouldn't have been able to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt ifcertain evidence that had come to light since had been presented at trial. Two years later, in late 2019, Greg was finally exonerated with the belief that he is actually innocent of committing the offense., https://www.instagram.com/p/B4kczM4hmvk/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link, In 2017, Greg Kelley was free, yes, but somehow, it felt the opposite for him. He always maintained his innocence, though, never once wavering from it. Brydon said. Both just 17 at the time, thetrialmade them grow up fast. "And he's never said anything but Greg and he said it under oath. Greg Kelley went from a football hero to a wrongfully convicted sex offendersentenced to25 yearswithout parole. Kelleys own attorney, Patricia Cummings, ignored the evidence pointing to McCarty, as did Cedar Park police detective Chris Dailey, and Kelley was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison with no parole. He was convicted and sentenced the following year. Kelley has been completely exonerated and declared innocent. In early November, when the appellate court agreed Kelley's conviction should be overturned, Hampton told reporters that prosecuting someone else for the crime would be a tricky case no matter what. 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 charged for the sexual assault of two children, under the age of 5, who attended the daycare in the home where he was living. 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. ", Strangers really did come out of the woodwork. WebGreg Kelley (28) Defensive Back - EMU: 2021: Part of EMUs 2021 signing class after practicing with EMU during the 2020 season2020: Did not see any game action, Greg Furthermore, the filing also alleged, Cummings had previously represented this third suspect in another matter and therefore refrained from investigating that person as well. As Showtimes new docuseries Outcry shows, many in the community hadtheir doubts about Kelleys guilt despite his conviction. Shortly after entering the NCAA transfer portal in September, Kessler announced that he received a full-ride scholarship to Eastern Michigan. He made friends on the inside whom he keeps in touch with daily, and he said he intends to start a prison ministry to help people serious about turning their life around. (In an unrelated case, Johnathan was sentenced to four years in prison last yearafter pleadingguilty to unlawful restraint and drug charges. [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. All the while, he insisted he was innocent. Following a walk-on tryout at Texas, Kelley signed as part of Eastern Michigans 2021 recruiting class and practiced with the team during the 2020 season. But if anyone has the patience and strength to wait it out a bit longer, it's Kelley. In 2013, with four scholarship offers on the table, a steady girlfriend and the future looking bright, the 17-year-old was accused ofmolesting a 4-year-old boy. "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. ", Kelley also said that day, "I was given my freedom and I'm happy with it." Kelley is also continuing with his education. Despite performing well, the program wasnt accepting walk-ons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 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 Check out the hottest fashion, photos, movies and TV shows! "This particular child said Greg," he acknowledged. We weren't really scared going into the trial. Fortunately, Greg has been able to look forward in life. ", Kelley also said that day, "I was given my freedom and I'm happy with it." All the while, he insisted he was innocent. News, "hate is a virus and I have to realign myself with what my purpose needs to be, every time I wake up. College football administrators are looking at ways to reduce the number of plays in games in the name of player safety, with a tweak in clock operating procedures likely the first step. Kelley was 17 and a Leander High School senior football star when he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for aggravated sexual assault of a child under the age of 6. However, he did not see any game action last season. 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. Brydon told Oxygen.comthat the Kelleys have sincemoved back to the Cedar Park area following their wedding. A second boy also came forward but later recanted his accusation against Kelley. He's determined to. I played at Texas, and athletically, GK fits in as a scholarship player - not just a walk-on.". Few people experience the momentum that Kelley had going into his senior year in Leander, Texas. Kelley asked his future father-in-law for his daughter's hand in marriage while he was still locked upbut he didn't propose until after he was out. "Worse than murder" when you're in prison, Kelley said in an interview last month with E! Both just 17 at the time, thetrialmade them grow up fast. ", And when he was convicted, Kelley recalled, "a groundswell of support from above started coming up and people started having my back. How much did Kelly Gregg weigh when playing? 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. He was unable to definitively conclude who the perpetrator was, but he had three suspects: Kelley, Johnathan McCarty and an unnamed third person. ", 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! Kelley's case is the subject of "Outcry," a five-hour Showtime documentary series released in July that focuses on his conviction and the six-year attempt to overturn it. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: collegefootball | pageType: stories | Shama McCarty, Johnathan's mother, ran an in-home daycare, the scene of the alleged sexual assault. 'sJust the Sip, available wherever you get your podcasts. Hes a productive member of society.". The lawsuit states that the investigation for his case was incompetent, in bad faith and fundamentally flawed and that he is seeking monetary damages for mental anguish, emotional distress, and the impairment of his reputation, among other things. Kelley, 26, was officially part of the Eastern Michigan's 2021 signing class, and played in the Eagles' spring game April 16, recording an interception. Because the child was so small, they moved forwarded immediately and arrested Greg Kelley, the only known Greg who had been at that house. All rights reserved. "Worse than murder" when you're in prison, Kelley said in an interview last month with E! "But," he added, "it turned into about six or seven of them turning it more into a hatred towards me. As Outcry shows,Kelley moved to New York City with his longtime high school sweetheart turned wife Gaebri, who supported him throughout the whole ordeal, before his conviction was officially vacated while she attended the Broadway Dance Center. "But that's not the reason we gave him a scholarship. ", Shawn Dicktold reporters a few weeks later, "Wewere able at least to get to the truth of whether or not Greg Kelley should have been convicted and whether or not the trial was held appropriately. Outcry is a five-part docuseries on Showtime that filmmaker Pat Kondelis made after he got invested into the story of Gregory Kelley and the sexual assault case that he was involved in. But, he added, "I want justice." She is a former NFL cheerleader who currently works as a professional Dancer & Choreographer. The couplemarried in January 2019. He is the co-host of Good Day New York. Kelley's then-girlfriend and current wife Gaebri Anderson Kelleynoted that McCarty was the first person to come to mind when she heard about the accusations. She maintained in 2017 that the defense she went witharguing that no abuse had occurredwas her best available option at the time based on the evidence. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. "It was an honor being able to be given this as I shook the hand of the current principal and was given a tour of a school where I once created wonderful memories. 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. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. WebA five-part documentary series examining the gripping story of high school football star Greg Kelley and a quest for truth and justice. They tied the knot in Austin this past January. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! A 6-foot-2, 215-pound safety, Eastern Michigan offered Kelley a scholarship in September, less than a year after he was fully exonerated after having been convicted of sexually molesting a young boy in a case that drew headlines across the nation. "I am excited to announce that I have But he's also busy simply enjoying his freedom. Kelley was accepted at the University of Texas and, after getting a walk-on tryout this spring, hopes toplay for theLonghorns. Kelley was convicted and sentenced to 25 years without the possibility of parole, despite the lack of any physical evidence. JakeBrydon, who led themovement to get Kelley exonerated, told Oxygen.comthat the prosecutor's office offered Kelley 10 years of probation with no jail time but he refused to take the deal, proclaiming innocence. 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. 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. Kelley was accused by a 4-year-old boy of sexually molesting him, even though some of the boys testimony pointed to another person living in the house - Johnathan McCarty - who was a couple of years younger than Kelley but had a striking resemblance to Kelley. A 6-foot-2, 215-pound safety, Eastern Michigan offered Kelley a scholarship in September, but the potential was there to make an impact, coachesagreed. Kelley, who signed last year to play football at Eastern Michigan, entered the transfer portal earlier this week. He told, There has not been another arrest in connection with Kelley's case specifically, though McCarty has been arrested, A judge recommended to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals that Kelleys conviction be vacated in 2017 after a long and difficult battle from Kelley's supporters, according to the, As Outcry shows,Kelley moved to New York City with his longtime high school sweetheart turned. A second boy also came forward but later recanted his accusation against Kelley. The state of Texas isn't known for revisiting criminal convictions, yet his was thrown out. (Featured Image Credit: Showtime). Your source for entertainment news, celebrities, celeb news, and celebrity gossip. News. From what he told ESPN, Kelley's got some serious talent. 2023 www.detroitnews.com. 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. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. It was definitely hard. Hefiled a lawsuit against Cedar Park earlier this year for his wrongful conviction, theStatesman reportedin March. His name wasn't cleared yet, but the young man was feeling hopeful. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops says transfer QB Devin Leary, who had season-ending surgery in 2022 for a pectoral injury, is "close to full go" for the Wildcats. Kelley was accepted at the University of Texas and, after getting a walk-on tryout this spring, hopes toplay for theLonghorns. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Kelly Gregg is 6-0 (183 cm) tall. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Support local journalism, and subscribe here. Kelley said in an Instagram post. [11], Decider considered whether to "Stream It Or Skip It" and called to "Stream It" as did 73.5% on their Twitter poll. "Still to this day, it doesn't get easier," Kelley told E! 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. Kelley was accused of sexually molesting two boys. Hes living the American dream. Weeks later, a new judge in the Texas district court where Kelley was originally convicted held a hearing and said, "I declare you innocent, and you are fully exonerated.". Dan Graziano reports from the NFL combine on the possible repercussions Jalen Carter could face from the league. Still, none of that changesthat he spent almost seven years, including three behind bars, with a cloud ofguilt hanging over his head. "But you called my broken mother and promised her you would do everything you could to fight for me.". For Kelley, finally earning a scholarship is the fulfillment of a goal that he's long held, dating to his childhood. 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