It's testimony, so how does a prosecutor overcome that? WebGreg. "Being labeled a pedophile is worse than murder," Kelley explained. He finally was exonerated by Texas' court of appeals in November, and signed to play football with Eastern Michigan last week. 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. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. He was released on bond in 2017 when Shawn Dick, a newly elected Williamson County district attorney, reopened Kelley's case based on evidence from an appellate lawyer and a subsequent investigation by the Texas Rangers that found fault with the investigation. As Showtimes new docuseries Outcry shows, many in the community hadtheir doubts about Kelleys guilt despite his conviction. 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's unclear what role Kelley will play immediately at Eastern Michigan; then again, it remains unclear when Eastern Michigan will play football. I knew what kind of person he was. The Showtime mini-series premiered on July 5, 2020. It really does. "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. Your source for entertainment news, celebrities, celeb news, and celebrity gossip. They tied the knot in Austin this past January. The legal team also filed documents naming an alternate suspect, Johnathan McCarty. 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 News. "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. "But that's not the reason we gave him a scholarship. Birthplace. From what he told ESPN, Kelley's got some serious talent. "I want to give back," he said. We weren't really scared going into the trial. "Those guys taught me so much about getting through and persevering through such a place full of hatred and violence, and racists. Between Kelley, his family and his fiance, the tears wereflowing. Kelley, whose story is told in the Stan docuseries Outcry, was just 17 when the accusations were made. All the while, he insisted he was innocent. Earning money proved tough while he was still a convicted felon, so he saved up for a ring doing yard work and other odd jobs. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Get the fastest scores, stats, news, LIVE videos, and more. [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]. The last football game Kelley played was in the Texas state playoffs. Check out the hottest fashion, photos, movies and TV shows! 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. This was an actual ballplayer.". Kelley has been completely exonerated and declared innocent. It's testimony, so how does a prosecutor overcome that? Kelley's case"clearly was the perfect storm of all aspects of the criminal justice system failing," Dick told Oxygen.com. It gave me a little bit more hope. 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. They tied the knot in Austin this past January. Shortly after entering the NCAA transfer portal in September, Kessler announced that he received a full-ride scholarship to Eastern Michigan. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Greg Kelleys life has not been simple. 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. [11], Decider considered whether to "Stream It Or Skip It" and called to "Stream It" as did 73.5% on their Twitter poll. Texas is my dream school, Kelley told Horns247. Greg Kelleyhas hopes and dreams, like a lot of people. Where was Kelly Gregg born? His new attorney,Keith Hampton, filed multiple motions, alleging thatthe police investigation was shoddy and that Kelley wasn't properly represented at trial. He was convicted a year later and sentenced for 25 years without possibility of parole. Kelleys supporters rallied to show their support of the convicted teen, and to point out the apparentholes in the case. It appears he will end his Eastern Michigan career before I want to close this the right way.". This was an actual ballplayer.". We're running a new-subscriber special. 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. "You had no idea who I was after my conviction," Kelley saidin court on the day of his exoneration. And I believe you should do the thing that makes you happy and gives you peace. "When you're in there as a pedophile you're already the scum of the earth." ", He added, "The heartache and division it has created in our town is something that should never happen. Agirlhadaccused him of drugging and assaulting her at a frat party in 2015, when she was 15 and he was 18.). Not everybody who gets falsely accused ever gets to see the other side of justice. 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. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. They're holding off on having kids though, Anderson said, so that her husband can focus on school. Not everybody gets that. Kelley's friend's parents owned an in-home daycare. Kelley, who signed last year to play football at Eastern Michigan, entered the transfer portal earlier this week. 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," he added, "it turned into about six or seven of them turning it more into a hatred towards me. He always maintained his innocence, though, never once wavering from it. He was convicted and sentenced the following year. How much did Kelly Gregg weigh when playing? Dailey resigned in July, according to Spectrum News, and the city sent a letter tothe district attorney's office requesting an investigation into the now-former police sergeant's conduct. "It breaks my family's heart because I don't deserve that, they don't deserve that. ", Strangers really did come out of the woodwork. The children gave testimonies from a closed-circuit television, but every attempt that was done to make them positively identify Greg failed. [5], Rotten Tomatoes favorably rates Outcry 89% from 9 critics and 93% from 15 users,[6] while the Internet Movie Database rates it 8.4/10 from 690 users. Before his arrest, Kelley was committed to playing college ball at Texas-San Antonio. After that, Kelley had to wait and see what the Texas Court of Criminal Appealswould say. They're holding off on having kids though, Anderson said, so that her husband can focus on school. Schumann returning to Georgia. And so, in 2017, he filed for a re-trial and was released from prison in August on bond. He tried out and is still waiting on a decision from the coaches.". 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. He was unable to definitively conclude who the perpetrator was, but he had three suspects: Kelley, Johnathan McCarty and an unnamed third person. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. His name wasn't cleared yet, but the young man was feeling hopeful. He practiced with the team in 2020, but didn't see action in the shortened 2020 season because of a groin injury. News, "hate is a virus and I have to realign myself with what my purpose needs to be, every time I wake up. But he's also busy simply enjoying his freedom. [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. 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. Well, I dont have that fear anymore.. section: | slug: greg-kelley-to-play-football-at-eastern-michigan-after-wrongful-child-sex-crime-conviction-was-overturned | sport: collegefootball | route: article_single.us | "When you're in there as a pedophile you're already the scum of the earth." Despite performing well, the program wasnt accepting walk-ons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "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. There was no way he was going to get convicted on the evidence they didn't have. Kelley. 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. "You had no idea who I was after my conviction," Kelley saidin court on the day of his exoneration. I want to be free. Mid-American Conference presidents are expected to vote Friday on whether to reinstate a fall season, or continue moving forward with a spring season. After getting out of prison in 2017, a friend of Kelley's convinced former Longhorns' running back Jeremy Hills, who is now an elite performance coach to NFL players such as Earl Thomas, Kenny Vaccaro and Jalen Ramsey, to train Kelley. 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.". And once he was convicted, those who had assumed he was guilty figured they were merely being proved right. [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. "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. "[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. 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. Hills, who trains NFL players including Earl Thomas III and Landon Collins, said he was blown away by what he saw after he initially offered Kelley a chance to work out with him as a favor after following his case in the local news. Kelly Gregg has not been elected into the Before he was incarcerated, he was verbally committed to play safety for the University of Texas at San Antonios football team, which meant that he had to have been really good. "I have nothing but gratitude for people that saved me from that injustice.". Furthermore, an investigator used questionable tactics to interview the children. (In an unrelated case, Johnathan was sentenced to four years in prison last yearafter pleadingguilty to unlawful restraint and drug charges. "Imagine not being able to kiss or hug the person you love. Then he was accused of molesting a four-year-old boy and his life fell apart. 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. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Brydon said. However, he did not see any game action last season. After he was convicted, a crowd of supporters surrounded him but a cloud of uncertainty about his future continued to follow as shown in a new docuseries about the flawed case against him and his eventual freedom. He was just a junior at that point. 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. But if anyone has the patience and strength to wait it out a bit longer, it's Kelley. 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. For Kelley, finally earning a scholarship is the fulfillment of a goal that he's long held, dating to his childhood. As of now, the Big 12 hasn't canceled football season due to COVID-19, unlike some of the other major college football conferences. She continued, "I had no doubt in my mind. He is the co-host of Good Day New York. Having previously maintained that he conducted a thorough investigation in the Kelley case, Dailey had yet to comment. 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. Greg Kelley was a high school football star with a loving girlfriend who was close to achieving his dream of attending the University of Texas on a scholarship. Shama McCarty, Johnathan's mother, ran an in-home daycare, the scene of the alleged sexual assault. He debated whether to continue pursuing football or moving on in life, but ultimately decided to stick with it. "We think society did him wrong," Creighton told The News last fall. Kelley'sconviction wasvacated in November 2019. Kelley wrote her letters with drawings of hearts all over themfrom prison. Now 25, Kelley has worked since his conviction to clear his name in hopes of fulfilling a dream of playing college football. Read More: Where Is Johnathan McCarty Now? The legal team also filed documents naming an alternate suspect, Johnathan McCarty. Together the couple resides in Texas, but they also move around to New York and Los Angeles from time to time. Kelley and wife Gaebri his high-school sweetheart who stuck with him during his entire ordeal made the two-day move from Texas late last week. Kelly Gregg weighed 320 lbs (145 kg) when playing. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. 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. He was arrested the summer before his senior year, and eventually was convicted and sentenced to up 25 years in prison without the chance of parole or appeal. 2023 E! Kelley, 25, attempted to walk-on at Texas ahead of the 2020 campaign. Kelleys supporters rallied to show their support of the convicted teen, and to point out the apparentholes in the case. "Hes a young inspiring entrepreneur," Brydon told Oxygen.com. Created in our town is something that should never happen was in the case a year later and sentenced 25! 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