The ways we face problems throughout our lives define us as people. CJ Stroud’s life changed when his father was imprisoned at the age of 13, plunging his family into serious financial problems that brought them close to bankruptcy. He is serving 38 years in prison after being convicted of kidnapping, robbery, stealing a car and misdemeanor sexual assault stemming from a drug-related incident. The Houston Texans quarterback has had a very different path to the elite than the rest of the NFL players and he knows, perfectly, that opportunities cannot be wasted. For this reason, he has landed on his feet in the Texan franchise.
His father, who had already been in prison before, found his salvation in religion to kick his drug addiction and became a church pastor. However, he fell back on them, which destroyed the family relationship. They had to abandon their residence and her mother did everything possible to find a home. Her job allowed them to live in an apartment located above the warehouse where her mother worked.
CJ Stroud began to excel in football and basketball and, while his teammates worked with nutritionists and personal trainers, he had to improve with YouTube videos while helping his mother in the warehouse. His late evolution meant that he did not stand out from the first moment. However, Stroud persevered, stayed in school and was a starter his junior and senior years, the last two of high school, racking up yards and touchdowns that caught the attention of top colleges in the United States. Ultimately, he chose Ohio State’s offer.
In college, he was a substitute for Justin Fields, current quarterback of the Chicago Bears, in his first year, but, after his departure to the NFL, CJ Stroud took over and surprised, from the first moment, with his impact. It was at Ohio State when he regained his relationship with his father after five years of ignoring her calls and his messages. “My father was my best friend. For him to disappear from my life in that way was difficult to handle,” he declared in an interview with The Pivot podcast. Two years ago they barely spoke on the phone. Today they call each other constantly.
“My father has made mistakes, so have I; But it’s not just about seeing the bad.”
CJ Stroud
CJ Stroud has forgiven his father. “He has made mistakes. I have committed mine. It is not just about seeing the bad,” he added. After the disappointment of losing the Heisman Trophy (a title given to the best player in college football), it was a conversation with his father that lifted his spirits. “CJ was sitting disappointed in the car. His father called him and they talked for a while. He is very proud of his son. That’s when I knew they had forgiven each other,” his mother commented. The reunion, however, seems far from happening, since, due to his conviction, he will not be able to obtain parole until 2040, although the Stroud family is working to make it happen sooner.
Numbers within the reach of very few.
After three years at Ohio State he decided to make the jump to the NFL and was chosen second in the first round to right the course of the Houston Texans. There was nothing to suggest that his impact would be so great from the first moment. After a brilliant start, he became the rookie quarterback who has thrown the most passes to be intercepted for the first time. Insignificant numbers, but they made all eyes fall on him. However, it was not the only record he has achieved. In the week eight game against the Buccaneers he set the record for most passing yards by a rookie (470) and most touchdowns (5).
Added to all this, Stroud has become the fifth quarterback in NFL history to achieve 1,200 passing yards with zero interceptions in the first four games of the season. The only one who has achieved it as a rookie. And the sixth player to average 300 yards per game with zero interceptions during four games after Peyton Manning (2013), Tom Brady (2015 and 2017), Drew Brees (2018), Patrick Mahomes (2018 and 2019) and Aaron Rodgers ( 2020).
What was assumed to be a gradual reconstruction has been blown up. He and his draft partner, Tank Dell, form one of the most colorful couples in the entire league and have given Houston the chance to fight to get into the playoffs when last year they were fighting, only, to not be the worst team in the league. After twelve days of competition, CJ Stroud has accumulated 3,266 yards, 19 touchdown passes and 5 interceptions. Numbers for a true great player if we consider that it is his first season. It is still early to think about what his career in the NFL may be, but, for now, the Texans have a player on which to build his future.
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2023-11-28 11:29:32
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