No one has been charged in the case since Kelley was cleared. 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 was still convicted. "When you're in there as a pedophile you're already the scum of the earth." 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. 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. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Kelley, whose story is told in the Stan docuseries Outcry, was just 17 when the accusations were made. Kelley. 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. We weren't really scared going into the trial. He said he has given Kelley some office space on his property for Kelley's new endeavor acompany calledTomahawkTargets,which makes customaxe throwing boardsand corn hole sets. News. But Kondelis said he's done nothing more rewarding than Showtime's "Outcry," a five-part series that was released in June and tells the story of Eastern Michigan's newest football player, Greg 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. 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. "I just call myself blessed," said Kelley, who was so adamant about his innocence from the beginning that he refused to sign a plea deal that could've kept him out of prison, and despite his mother's pleas to take it. 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. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. But, he added, "I want justice." Kelley was accused of sexually molesting two boys. 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. Having previously maintained that he conducted a thorough investigation in the Kelley case, Dailey had yet to comment. And once he was convicted, those who had assumed he was guilty figured they were merely being proved right. The handsome young Texas football star seemingly had a Courtney Cronin reports from the NFL combine on the breaking news involving NFL draft prospect Jalen Carter. 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. [4], Pat Kondelis is also the director of Disgraced, a 2017 Emmy Award winning Showtime documentary about the 2003 murder of Baylor University basketball player Patrick Dennehy and the attempted, related cover-up of NCAA violations rampant in the Baylor basketball program by Coach Dave Bliss. This was an actual ballplayer.". 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. From what he told ESPN, Kelley's got some serious talent. Kelley, a safety, was verbally committed to play football at Texas-San Antonio before his arrest and wrongful conviction. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. [11], Decider considered whether to "Stream It Or Skip It" and called to "Stream It" as did 73.5% on their Twitter poll. 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? 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. CLICK HERE to download the CBS Sports Mobile App and get the latest on your team today. He is the co-host of Good Day New York. "He is a student there and ready to take the field. News. Additionally, Kelley is looking for reparations for the injustice he experienced. Since he moved back to Austin last fall, Kelley has been working out with former Texas running back Jeremy Hills, an elite football trainer. Just last week he showed off the high school diploma he finally had a chance to go and get in person. Because the child was so small, they moved forwarded immediately and arrested Greg Kelley, the only known Greg who had been at that house. 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. "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. "But you called my broken mother and promised her you would do everything you could to fight for me.". It unfolds with astonishing and incomprehensible details of how poorly the case was handled by the district attorneys office and police department and relies heavily on the support that rose up around for the accused. As of now, the Big 12 hasn't canceled football season due to COVID-19, unlike some of the other major college football conferences. We actually had a trip planned for the next day.". Kelleys supporters rallied to show their support of the convicted teen, and to point out the apparentholes in the case. They tied the knot in Austin this past January. This was an actual ballplayer.". Not everybody who gets falsely accused ever gets to see the other side of justice. "It breaks my family's heart because I don't deserve that, they don't deserve that. WebLatest on NT Kelly Gregg including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on NFL.com His name wasn't cleared yet, but the young man was feeling hopeful. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. at the time. 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. Defensive Back. It gave me a little bit more hope. 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. "Those guys taught me so much about getting through and persevering through such a place full of hatred and violence, and racists. 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. I didn't expect any of that. 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. After that, Kelley had to wait and see what the Texas Court of Criminal Appealswould say. 2023 www.detroitnews.com. Where was Kelly Gregg born? Kelley'sconviction wasvacated in November 2019. Greg Kelleyhas hopes and dreams, like a lot of people. After that, Kelley had to wait and see what the Texas Court of Criminal Appealswould say. Kelley enrolled at the University of Texas in January with the hope of walking on with the Longhorns. [3], "This does not feel like freedom at all," said Kelley who was convicted of child sexual assault in 2014 to be exonerated in 2019 though it is exceedingly rare for the state's highest criminal court to overturn a conviction. 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. 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. That's how Eastern Michigan's newest football recruit, Greg Kelley, chooses to look at life these days, after an eight-year, nationally publicized saga that saw the one-time top-shelf Texas high-school football star wrongfully convicted for child sexual assault and spend three-and-a-half years in prison. I've done everything I possibly can to show you that I didn't do this.". I had friends since I was a baby who were saying, 'I can't believe you are sticking by him.' 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.' 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. Rankings for the 2023 NFL draft: Top prospects at every position from Kiper, McShay, Miller, Reid, Kiper's new Big Board rankings for the 2023 NFL draft: Top 25 prospects, Syracuse QB Shrader to miss spring practice, Sources: Asst. There was no way he was going to get convicted on the evidence they didn't have. It's testimony, so how does a prosecutor overcome that? The couplemarried in January 2019. Kelley has been completely exonerated and declared innocent. His new attorney,Keith Hampton, filed multiple motions, alleging thatthe police investigation was shoddy and that Kelley wasn't properly represented at trial. Your source for entertainment news, celebrities, celeb news, and celebrity gossip. Schumann returning to Georgia. McCarty's family had taken Kelley in when Greg's own parents' health problems made it tough for them to take care of him. And "I want this kid to feel like he's been delivered justice. Will he ever get to play football again? News. Kelley wrote her letters with drawings of hearts all over themfrom prison. His case gained popularity thanks to "Outcry," a five-hour Showtime documentary series released in July that focuses on his conviction and the six-year attempt to overturn it. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. I had friends since I was a baby who were saying, 'I can't believe you are sticking by him.' The Greg Kelley case covered in the Showtime docuseries Outcry was, well, worthy of an outcry. Greg Kelley went from a football hero to a wrongfully convicted sex offender sentenced to 25 years without parole. As "Outcry" points out, McCarty's initial lawyer was close friends with the McCarty family and she declined to look at himas a potential subject. "Everything that happens to me from here on out is a blessing. No other Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. WebGet the latest news, stats, videos, highlights and more about defensive back Greg Kelley on ESPN. By Gina Tron Greg Kelley's Sex Assault Case But he's also busy simply enjoying his freedom. "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.". "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. Having previously maintained that he conducted a thorough investigation in the Kelley case, Dailey had yet to comment. His team lost on a Hail Mary the year before, too. The Most Shocking Crimes Covered on E! 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. He's won titles and has now coached the Lancers to 741 victories. 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. 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. A presumption of innocence until proven guilty may be the law, but that's not often the way people think. Fortunately, Greg has been able to look forward in life. 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. Kelley had spent time living in the home of a family that also used the home as a daycare business in 2013. The state of Texas isn't known for revisiting criminal convictions, yet his was thrown out. For Kelley, finally earning a scholarship is the fulfillment of a goal that he's long held, dating to his childhood. 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. "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. 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. "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. "He is an awesome young man," Creighton told The News on Tuesday. Hes living the American dream. And I don't take it for granted. 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.". 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. "But that's not the reason we gave him a scholarship. How much did Kelly Gregg weigh when playing? Hes a productive member of society.". Together the couple resides in Texas, but they also move around to New York and Los Angeles from time to time. Not everybody gets that. Few people experience the momentum that Kelley had going into his senior year in Leander, Texas. ", The Unanswered Questions of Unsolved Mysteries' Rey Rivera Episode. He practiced with the team in 2020, but didn't see action in the shortened 2020 season because of a groin injury. Furthermore, the filing also alleged, Cummings had previously represented this third suspect in another matter and therefore refrained from investigating that person as well. '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. 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.