I had friends since I was a baby who were saying, 'I can't believe you are sticking by him.' A former Cedar Park resident named Jake Brydon helped pay forhis defense through the appeals process. We weren't really scared going into the trial. After that, Kelley had to wait and see what the Texas Court of Criminal Appealswould say. 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. We had to fall in love with each other's hearts through these letters.". In thedocuseries, child testimony expert Dr. Kamala London points out that investigators' interviewing techniques were flawed:the kids were asked leading questions. "Those guys taught me so much about getting through and persevering through such a place full of hatred and violence, and racists. 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.' 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 | In the fall, after signing with Eastern Michigan, Kelley told The News, "I feel like I'm a 19-year-old kid again.". Kelley was arrested his senior year of high school in 2013 for allegations of sexual abusing a 4-year-old child. He's determined to. ", Strangers really did come out of the woodwork. WebGregory Raymond "Greg" Kelly (born December 17, 1968) is an American broadcast journalist. 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. ", Why Alonzo Brooks' Death Needed Further Investigationand Not Just From Unsolved Mysteries, And when he was convicted, Kelley recalled, "a groundswell of support from above started coming up and people started having my back. Is Kelly Gregg in the Hall of Fame? "Hes doing very well. The handsome young Texas football star seemingly had a [12], Lawyer Robert Barnes highly recommends Outcry, stating, "What's also still unsettling is that even Texas Rangers and high-ranking law enforcement officers still don't know how to prosecute a child abuse case."[13]. WebGreg. "I know that these past six years I had to prove myself to save my life so I can prove myself that I can play ball," he said. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Kelley, whose story is told in the Stan docuseries Outcry, was just 17 when the accusations were made. 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. All rights reserved. [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. Hall of Fame coach Chris Ault has been named to the College Football Playoff selection committee, along with Miami (Ohio) athletic director David Sayler and Washington athletic director Jennifer Cohen. 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. "I am excited to announce that I have 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. Kelley fought the charges but was convicted in 2014 of two counts of super aggravated sexual assault and sentenced to 25 years in prison. ESPN Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. He lived in New York City for a little while before that. And I don't take it for granted. News. ", He added, "The heartache and division it has created in our town is something that should never happen. "I've gotta continue to live life.". Kelley said that of course children should have fierce advocates and they are generally doing important work. Since he moved back to Austin last fall, Kelley has been working out with former Texas running back Jeremy Hills, an elite football trainer. He made the announcement on an Instagram post uploaded on Saturday. But he's also busy simply enjoying his freedom. Another Hail Mary, interestingly, got him to this point convicted and sentenced to 25 years without the chance of parole in 2014, it took a tirelessadvocate, an unconvinced lawyer and an opened-minded district attorney to take up the case, eventually unearthing a shoddy and unethical police investigation and inadequate legal representation the first time around. Both just 17 at the time, thetrialmade them grow up fast. Dick, Kelley's case"clearly was the perfect storm of all aspects of the criminal justice system failing," Dick, Dick said he would not have even tried Kelley if he was in office at the time, noting that there was not enough evidence to prosecute in his view. We actually had a trip planned for the next day.". Previously, he was the co-host of "I have nothing but gratitude for people that saved me from that injustice.". He had been fighting to overturn his conviction ever since it was handed down, but the campaign really picked up steam when Shawn Dick, a newly elected Williamson County district attorney, reopened the case. "Like, I realized this wasn't charity work. Greg Kelleys life has not been simple. Three trades in a chaotic top five, The new law changing service academy football, and the coaches pushing back, Realignment chatter: How the Pac-12 holds the key to it all. Chief Mannix retired from the Cedar Park forcein Februaryand was due toassume that role in the much smaller city ofBurnet, about 36 miles away, but KXAN reported on July 13 that he would no longer be taking the job. [8], The Guardian said, "It was a rollercoaster" and the most surprising docuseries of the summer. But even in the middle of the nightmare, he found bright spots. [7] Metacritic rates Outcry 78% from 5 critics. Birthplace. Wrongly convicted former Leander safety Greg Kelley has entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal again, more than seven years after the former Texas high-school standout lost a scholarship opportunity at UTSA by being falsely imprisoned. "But you called my broken mother and promised her you would do everything you could to fight for me.". She continued, "I had no doubt in my mind. 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. Having previously maintained that he conducted a thorough investigation in the Kelley case, Dailey had yet to comment. Kelley, who signed last year to play football at Eastern Michigan, entered the transfer portal earlier this week. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Several tireless advocates took up his case, and, amid some recanted testimony and allegations of shoddy police work, on Nov. 6, 2019, his conviction was overturned, and on Nov. 26, 2019, he was granted a complete exoneration. That summer, a 4-year-old boy who attended the McCarty daycare accused Kelley of molesting him. "They just excluded any other possible theories about what else could have happened," Dick said of hispredecessors. Hes a productive member of society.". 'sJust the Sip, available wherever you get your podcasts, Why Alonzo Brooks' Death Needed Further Investigationand Not Just From, 'Mandalorian' star Pedro Pascal, creators on new Grogu revelations and 'Last of Us' comparisons, Saved by the bell: Contestant ordered to keep mask on, in historic 'Masked Singer' first, Chris Pine admits 'it does look' like Harry Styles spit on him but this is what actually happened, Rebel Wilson 'collapsed' after Ramona Agruma proposal: 'I was so overwhelmed', Amy Grant recalls being 'so scared' to return to touring following serious bike accident. 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. As Showtimes new docuseries Outcry shows, many in the community hadtheir doubts about Kelleys guilt despite his conviction. I've done everything I possibly can to show you that I didn't do this.". 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. 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. The state of Texas isn't known for revisiting criminal convictions, yet his was thrown out. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. Greg plans on following his dreams of getting back into playing football with the hopes that one day he can have the opportunity to play for other teams. Read More: Where Is Johnathan McCarty Now? There was no way he was going to get convicted on the evidence they didn't have. Its been hard for me to hold a job, pass a background check. Will he ever get to play football again? 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 Hes living the American dream. "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. "You really start looking at Greg and realize not only can this kid move well, he'll probably play on Saturdays at a big-time program," Hills said. 2023 www.detroitnews.com. ", Strangers really did come out of the woodwork. He was convicted and sentenced the following year. And after Shawn Dick took office in 2016 and became the Williamson County district attorney, even the prosecutor's office sided with Kelley and his supporters. "It breaks my family's heart because I don't deserve that, they don't deserve that. We got to premiere this documentary months before it came out and, sitting there with my family, reliving six years of heartache in a documentary that's about five hoursI mean, there's no words to explain it.". Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Well, I dont have that fear anymore.. But, he added, "I want justice." 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 "For the people that stepped in and saved my life, I'm extremely grateful for them. I hit the jackpot. Kelley was released on bond in 2017, with his attorney filing that another man had admitted to the crimes and evidence showing there were many faults in the investigation -- the kids who accused him of the crimes were never shown photographs to confirm Kelley's identity, for example. All rights reserved. But if anyone has the patience and strength to wait it out a bit longer, it's Kelley. "So I want to explore that, I want to be given an opportunity to go and show these coaches like, 'Hey, I can continue to play, I've got tons of heart. Leander, TX. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. "Hes a young inspiring entrepreneur," Brydon told, Hes doing very well. 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. 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. As a junior at Leander High School, Kelley was offered a scholarship to UTSA by Neal Neathery, the Roadrunners defensive coordinator on the staff of then-head coach Larry Coker. He's surprised he wasnever stabbed, he said, but not a day went by where he didn't have to defend himself. He was convicted in 2014 of super-aggravated assault on a child and sentenced to 25 years in prison. But he's also busy simply enjoying his freedom. As of now, the Big 12 hasn't canceled football season due to COVID-19, unlike some of the other major college football conferences. It really does. "[10], Michael Morton, who was mentioned in Outcry as also having been wrongfully convicted, expressed that the way the prosecutors are being presented in Outcry is problematic. 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. This was an actual ballplayer.". Now 25, Kelley has worked since his conviction to clear his name in hopes of fulfilling a dream of playing college football. "Imagine not being able to kiss or hug the person you love. At that time, Gregs father was hospitalized due to a stroke and his mother was suffering from a brain tumor, so his teammate and friend, Johnathan McCarty, offered his place for him to stay. "Worse than murder" when you're in prison, Kelley said in an interview last month with E! A presumption of innocence until proven guilty may be the law, but that's not often the way people think. But if anyone has the patience and strength to wait it out a bit longer, it's Kelley. Give me a shot.' Additionally, Kelley is looking for reparations for the injustice he experienced. Binge These True Crime Shows and Documentaries, He was convicted in 2014 of super-aggravated assault on a child and sentenced to 25 years in prison. 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. "We think he's going to be a really good player.". Shama McCarty, Johnathan's mother, ran an in-home daycare, the scene of the alleged sexual assault. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! "Football is a love of mine, something that I feel like has been given to me to love and to cherish and to experience," he told E! 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