When the news broke last summer, it was almost too much to believe.
Devonta Pollard, a former McDonald’s All-American that had just finished his freshman season at Alabama, had been arrested and charged with involvement in the kidnapping of a six-year old relative.
College athletes get arrested all the time, but this wasn’t your average DUI or weed possession charge. This was felony kidnapping, a federal offense since the child was taken across state lines.
Five months after he was arrested, Pollard was able to clear his name, but it came with a hefty price tag. He had to testify against his mother, who had grown to become his best friend after a pair of tragedies that no high school kid should have to deal with. First, his father passed away from pancreatic cancer. Then the family’s house burned down after it was struck by lightening.
Pollard got off without any jail time. His mother is doing 25 years.
Pollard has since earned his way onto the Houston roster after a stint at Eastern Mississippi Community College. He’s finally opening up about everything that he has been through. You can read the story here.