"She had no idea he was one of the NFL's most productive wide receivers from 2000 to 2009. All she saw was a police officer with a handgun, a taser and a tactical vest that included a body cam, pepper spray, handcuffs and police radio. In her eyes, he was true blue. "I feel safe with you here," she told Coles, impacting him in a way she never could've imagined."
"If she only knew how this middle-aged former star athlete, with two metal hips, punished himself for months in the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Academy, how his body seized up at night because of the physical strain and how he almost gave it all up to go back to his pre-police life, which was good and comfortable. If she only knew."
Officer Laveranues Coles, once one of the NFL's most productive wide receivers from 2000 to 2009, patrols Jacksonville and encountered an elderly shopper who told him she felt safe. He endured childhood sexual abuse by a gun-wielding stepfather, was arrested twice, and was dismissed from the Florida State team in 1999, later branded the "bad boy" of the 2000 draft. Coles entered the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Academy despite two metal hips and intense physical pain, nearly abandoning training to return to a comfortable pre-police life. He earned $42 million over 10 NFL seasons and describes himself as a prudent saver and investor. Friends and family express angst while Coles faces questions about his motives.
Read at ESPN.com
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