Sports

Houston’s Stroud breaking records, barriers between NFL and prison reform

By Jake Beardslee · December 16, 2023

Houston Texans rookie quarterback CJ Stroud has overcome significant adversity on his path to NFL stardom. His father was sentenced to 38 years in prison in 2015, leaving Stroud’s mother Kimberly to raise him and his three siblings alone in a small apartment. Despite a teacher telling him he had a 0.0078% chance of making the NFL, Stroud defied the odds.

The 22-year-old was selected second overall in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Texans after a standout college career at Ohio State. In the NFL, he has set numerous rookie records, including most passing yards over a five-game span. Through Week 13, Stroud leads the league in passing yards, which would make him the first rookie QB to achieve that feat in the Super Bowl era if he maintains that position.

Stroud credits his mother for keeping him grounded, saying “My parents did a great job raising me as such to be a humble young man.” He recalled a youth basketball game where his mother grabbed his jersey during a timeout to tell him “you stay humble no matter what.”

In addition to his on-field success, Stroud is an advocate for prison reform. He supports his father while also speaking out about poor prison conditions and a “corrupt criminal justice system.” As part of the NFL’s “My Cause My Cleats” campaign, Stroud wore shoes displaying messages about reform and “Free Pops.”

“I didn’t want to make this public, but our criminal justice system isn’t right, and it’s something that I need to probably be a little more vocal about, because what he’s going through is not right,” Stroud told reporters about his father’s case.