Alston & Bird attorneys successfully represented a former Texas A&M star running back and NFL player in a request for compassionate release under the First Step Act following a terminal diagnosis of metastatic throat cancer.
The client’s football career was cut short as a result of a drug addiction, which eventually led to a string of armed robberies and jail sentences. In 2014, he was sentenced to 324 months (27 years) in federal prison after pleading guilty to various charges. While in prison, the client was continually misdiagnosed and given insufficient medical care. Once diagnosed with metastatic throat cancer at the end of 2023, he was given a prognosis of only 12 months to live. In March, the court granted the client’s motion for compassionate release, a rare outcome that will allow the client, as a rehabilitated person, to spend what are likely his final months with loved ones.
Representing the client was an Alston & Bird team led by partner Jared Slade, associate Sidney Webb, and then-associate Rory Smith, who received the matter through Families Against Mandatory Minimums.