October 10, 2024 • 32 mins
NFL star Darryl Henley descended into the dark world of drug trafficking and got arrested, bringing his promising NFL career to a screeching halt. Join Jay Harris as he recounts Darryl’s trials and tribulations as he became desperate to escape his fate, deciding to hire a hitman to take out a witness and a judge.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
Welcome back to playing dirty sports scandals. I'm Jay Harris,
a veteran ESPN sportscaster and your bold barista ever, ready
to serve up a potent blend from the dark side
of sports. Today we steep deeper into the murky saga
of Darryl Henley. Once an NFL standout cornerback, Daryl soon
(00:29):
found himself drowning in bad decisions, cast as a central
figure in a crime that reads like a paperback thriller. Yeah,
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this is not a book or a blend that anyone
would want to find themselves in the thick of. But
at the end of last week's episode is where Darryl
Henley was stepping out of his La Rams unifor and
into a jail house orange jumpsuit, with his reputation teetering
on the brink as federal charges related to drug trafficking
were filed against him. The charges and his alleged involvement
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shocked Darrell's friends and family alike. His devoted dad, Tom
Henley insisted to La Times reporter T. J. Simers that
Darryl is not exempt from doing wrong. But Daryl is
not a dummy. Here's a young man ready to take
off with the rams. Why would he jeopardize himself and
the family he loves so much for some stupid stuff.
(01:32):
I know he's innocent, but while Daryl's nearest and dares
continued to believe in his innocence, the facts were leading
authorities in a different direction. Darrel's only real hope of
evading the law was for his ex girlfriend, drug mule
and former friend Tracy donaho to refuse to cooperate with authorities.
(01:52):
And why would she do that given the gravity of
her situation being caught smuggling twenty six point four pounds
of cocaine in Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport and Darrell's cleared
duplicity in her own predicament. It wasn't long before Tracy
agreed to cooperate with authorities in exchange for lenient sentencing.
(02:13):
Tracy Donahoe's willingness to turn state's evidence against Daryl Henley
and other members of the drug trafficking ring provided federal
agents with a detailed inside look at the operation, revealing
the mechanics of how the drugs were moved across state lines.
She also identified the roles of the individuals in the
trafficking conspiracy, including Daryl Henley. I was very excited that
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Darrell seemed to be interested in me. Tracy testified under
questioning from Assistant US Attorney John Rayburn, painting herself as
having been an enamored, unwitting participant in the operation rather
than a key trafficker. Tracy further admitted that Darrell once
pulled the gun from his glove compartment during one of
their dates, and that he made her listen to part
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of a rap song about drug dealers recruiting a young
girl to help them distract police, softening the image of
herself further as a victim rather than a complicit dirty player.
Tracy's testimony became a cornerstone for the prosecution, detailing how
Daryl had masterminded the logistics of transporting large quantities of
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cocaine from California to various drop off points across the country.
In the sixty six page statement, Tracy wrote, in the
months following her July nineteen ninety three arrest, she spilled
all the information she knew about the drug trafficking ring,
and in doing so, effectively assured that Daryl would be
spending time behind bars. Prosecutors dropped all charges against Tracy
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Donahoe in return for her cooperation, and Daryl Henley was
left to reap what he had allegedly sung. Daryl's beloved
La Rams also grappled with the fallout from their cornerback's
very public come upance. In a desperate attempt to maintain
team focus, the Rams applied for and received a roster
(04:02):
exemption from the NFL. This exemption, which was part of
the collective bargaining agreement between the players and the league,
meant that Daryl continued to receive a salary drawing two
hundred and seventy five thousand dollars in the option year
of his contract, even as he stepped away from the
gridiron and into the glaring lights of his public court battle.
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But this money was surely very small consolation for Daryl,
who had brought shame to the team he'd aspired to lead,
and who was now going head to head for his
freedom alongside several criminal associates in the U S District
Court in Santa Ana. His old pal turn threat, Rafael Bustamante,
was also in the spotlight on charges related to the
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trafficking ring. At just twenty eight years old, Raphael was
accused of providing multi kilogram quantities of cocaine to Daryl,
underpinning the operation with a hefty supply of narcotics destined
for cross country distribution. While their trafficking partnership wasn't exactly
cartel level activity the operation, Daryl and Rafael stood accused
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of orchestrating still bore serious weight as a public threat.
Joining Daryl Henley and Rafael Bustamante and facing the consequences
of the drug ring were Willie McGowan and Gary West.
You remember Gary, right, the guy who couldn't figure out
how to get Tracy Donaho a flight home after her
first drug drop. Yeah, let's just say that Gary and
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Willie certainly weren't the head honchos of the operation, but
their involvement was still key. Willie was charged with packaging
the drugs into suitcases that Tracy then transported across the country,
and Gary West was found responsible for collecting these drug
laden suitcases in Tennessee then distributing them within the network.
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Willie McGowan was arrested following a federal warrant, and Gary
West was already detained in a Memphis jail on unrelated
charges of course, the indictments extended beyond drug trafficking because
Rafael Bustamante, along with Alejandro Figaro Equavis and James Timothy Says,
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faced additional charges of extortion. This was the trio that
it previously confronted Darryl Henley at gunpoint at the RAMS
practice facility in Anaheim, demanding six figures from him for
the cocaine shipment intercepted by the DEA in Atlanta. These
extortion charges had serious penalties, with the potential for each
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of the men to face up to twenty years in
prison with fines reaching two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
But more importantly, this superseding indictment by prosecutors was strategically
done so that all the defendants could be tried together,
painting a picture of a tightly knit criminal network, and
US Attorney Deirdre z Elliott argued at the center of
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that criminal network was Darryl Henley. The indictment alleges that
this was a sophisticated drug trafficking ring that extended from
southern California to Tennessee and Georgia. Darryl Henley allegedly played
an integral role US Attorney Elliott declared Daryl was staring
down a potential life sentence and fines of up to
(07:18):
eight million dollars if convicted on counts of conspiracy and
intent to distribute cocaine. As his high stakes trial commenced
at the US District Court in Santa Anna, California, it
initially drew outsized media attention. Famed defense attorney Roger Cossack,
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who would just one year later become the legal analyst
for CNN and go on to host the award winning
legal show Burden of Proof, took center stage as Darrell's council,
presenting a narrative to the jury of entrapment and deceit
gambits aimed at exonerating his client. In his opening statement,
attorney Cossack artful portrayed Daryl as a victim of a
(08:02):
calculated frame up orchestrated by former RAMS cheerleader Tracy and
Donahope and her parents. Now, this is a classic defense
tactic to attack the cooperating witness, and sometimes it actually works,
but not often. Federal prosecutors have a nearly ninety nine
percent conviction rate, making losses extremely rare. Still, the stats
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didn't stop Attorney Cossack from trying. There is a conspiracy
in this case, a nasty, nasty one, Attorney Cossack told
the jurys emphatically. He suggested that the conspiracy was hatched
within the Donahoe household by Tracy's parents, specifically to ensnare
Darryl Henley and shield their daughter from severe legal consequences.
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According to Attorney Cossack, Tracy Donahoe, who had pleaded guilty
to conspiracy to transport cocaine in nineteen ninety three, was
an unreliable witness whose testimony was motivated by her desire
to avoid prison. But the prosecution painted a starkly different
picture of Daryl Henley. Assistant US Attorney Deirdrezi Elliott described
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Henley as the mastermind behind the cocaine trafficking operation, a
legend that he exploited his status as an NFL star
to lure Tracy Donahoe into criminal activities. The prosecutor's theory
was that Darrell had seduced young and impressionable Tracy with gifts, money,
and trips, convincing her to transport suitcases filled with what
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he claimed was real estate money, but which in fact
contained cocaine. The case against Daryl was further supported by
a variety of traditional evidence, including bank records, car rental receipts,
and other documents that prosecutors argued linked him to the
drug trafficking ring. These people left paper trails all over
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the place, Elliott asserted, indicating that the financial transaction and
logistical arrangements would definitively tie Darryl Henley to illicit activities.
Defense attorney Cossack countered the prosecution's damning claims by insisting
that Darrell's connections to the co defendants, all of whom
had prior criminal records, were innocent and that his client
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had never knowingly engaged in any drug conspiracy. He further
argued that Darrell's signature was forged on certain receipts, casting
doubt on the authenticity of the evidence presented by the prosecution. Naturally,
Attorney Cossack also highlighted Darryl Henley's well known background as
a model citizen and a dedicated athlete, suggesting that the
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charges against him were out of character and fabricated by
those seeking to exploit his celebrity status. And let's face it,
with Darrell's family background of high achievement and ingrained ethics.
Attorney Cossack's tactics could have worked, especially since a drug
conspirac seems so wildly out of character for Daryl and
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so unnecessary giving his high earnings from the NFL. Why,
the defense veteran argued, would a successful young NFL cornerback
need money from narcotics trafficking? It was a reasonable question
to ask, and it opened the door for defense attorney
Cossack to attempt to remind the jury of Darryl Henley's
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many achievements instellar track record prior to the drug trafficking allegations.
Darryl Henley is a young man who, but for this,
has the world by the tail, Attorney Cossack concluded, suggesting
that his client had everything to lose and nothing to
gain from involving himself in illegal activities. As Darryl Henley's
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trial was heating up in Orange County, it was overshadowed
by another sports scandal that gripped the nation, the oj
Simpson murder trial. On March twenty eighth, nineteen ninety five,
the very same day that Cat o'kalin stepped down from
the witness stand in downtown Los Angeles, the less publicized
federal drug trial involving Daryl Henley was reaching its critical stages,
(12:12):
Yet despite its serious implications, Darrell's trial struggled to capture
nearly as much public attention as OJ Simpson's courtroom drama,
which was unfolding just twenty miles away in Judge Lance
Edo's courtroom. Losing the media spectacle that had swarmed Daryl
Henley's legal proceedings prior to the OJ Simpson trial was
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ironically unfortunate because issues arose within the jury of Daryl
Henley's trial that threatened the integrity of the judicial process,
and there weren't impartial journalists reporting on these issues sufficiently
due to their collective focus on OJ Simpson's fate. One
juror and the Darrell Henley case exhibited clear racial bias
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by referring to the defendants using racial slurs, the same
juror voice the prejudiced expectation of the trial's outcome, suggesting
that the defendants were quote gonna hang unquote. This blatant
bias alone raised alarming questions about the fairness of Darrell's
trial and severely compromise the impartiality required of jurors. After all,
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if a juror exhibits or advocates a racially biased attitude,
they can't possibly be fair to a defendant like Daryl Henley,
who was African American. Racial bias is a massive constitutional issue,
and in and of itself can be grounds for a
defendant to receive a whole new trial. Further complicating the
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proceedings integrity, a second juror admitted to using methamphetamine throughout
the duration of Daryl Henley's trial. This substance abuse could
have significantly impaired this juror's ability to process information and
make judicious decisions based on the evidence presented, not to
mention that this thisch juror likely lied in jury selection,
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since all prospective jurors must have been asked about their
drug usage before being picked for a drug trafficking trial.
As if all of this wasn't bad enough, a third
juror not only discussed the case with other jurors outside
the courtroom, an act which is strictly prohibited to preserve
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the integrity of the trial process, but also engaged in
a direct attempt to tamper with the trial's outcome. This
juror approached Daryl Henley's residence unsolicited and proposed a bribe
if he helped deliver a not guilty verdict. The discussion
about this bribe extended to a detailed negotiation over payment,
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which was to be between twenty five thousand and fifty
thousand dollars. The juror requested to speak directly to Daryl
and subsequently made a phone call to arrange the details
of the bribe, initially agreeing to accept the money before
ultimately deciding against participating in the scheme. Darryl Henley was
apparently willing to pay the bribe money and willingly engaged
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in these discussions with the juror. Wow These incidents of
misconduct underscored a fundamental breach of the principles that underpin
our justice system, particularly their requirement for an impartial jury.
But despite the serious concerns raised by the behavior of
three out of twelve jurors that's twenty five percent of
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the jury, the trial proceeded to its conclusion. Now, to
be fair to the court, most of these issues were
uncovered after the trial had long ended, and once the
depth of the issues came to light, it did prompt
a response from higher courts. In two thousand and one,
after extensive FBI investigation and court testimony, the Ninth Circuit
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Court of Appeals strongly admonished the trial judge Gary Taylor,
emphasizing that the presence of bias from even a sink
ingle juror violates the sixth Amendment, which is fundamental to
ensuring a fair trial. But none of this covered up
information helped Daryl Henley. On March twenty eighth, nineteen ninety five,
when the jury delivered a guilty verdict, several jurors reportedly
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wept as they exited the courtroom, reflecting the emotional weight
of their decision and possibly their guilt in not coming
forward about any misconduct to which they've been witnessed. I
feel bad, juror Sean O'Reilly, of forty one year old
truck driver, told the La Times, I don't like to
see anyone go to jail. But he dealt in misery.
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Cocaine ruins a lot of lives. Michael McKnight, who spent
eight years researching Daryl Henley's rise and fall for his
book Intercepted, noted that many jurors found it difficult to
accept that Daryl Henley would be sentenced to at least
the mandatory minimum of ten years in federal prison, and
they had a dilemma establishing his motive too. After all,
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how could they rationalize Darrell's participation in the drug trafficking
when there was no reasonable motive for him to have participated.
Why would someone so successful get involved in something like this?
Set a juror named Dave who declined to reveal his
last name. That was a number one reason people at
a hard time agreeing on a guilty verdict. The god
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was making up with a six hundred thousand dollars a year.
It did seem way out of character for Daryl Henley,
but the jury's incredulity was not enough to sway their
final verdict in light of the evidence presented, and Judge
Gary Taylor certainly did not let sentimentality cloud his sentencing.
He hammered Daryl Henley, sentencing him to twenty years in prison.
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In the tumultuous aftermath of Daryl Henley's conviction, his friends
and family provided unwavering support. I'm speechless, said La Rams
defensive team captain Anthony Newman when he learned about the
guilty verdict. When I walked in the door and found out,
it was like my heart had broken in half. I
don't stand up for anybody dealing in drugs or anything
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like that, but Daryl is like a brother to me,
and I don't believe he had anything to do with
drug trafficking. And that's what I will believe until the
day I die. I've been around the guy for seven years.
I don't care if they convicted him or not. There's
no way he did this. Those are some powerful words
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from her friend and teammate who knew Daryl well. Tom Henley,
Darrell's father, also didn't pull any punches and expressing his
disbelief publicly, Darrell had everything. There is just no reason
for him to traffic drugs. Tom asserted, encapsulating the family
shock and confusion over Darrell's alleged role as a drug lord.
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Dorothy Henley, Daryl's mother, also grappled with the verdict, her
faith deeply shaken. Carrying a three page letter from Daryl
in her purse like a talisman, she remembered the moment
the verdict was delivered. When the verdict came down, I
was upset at God. I felt like God had failed me.
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Daryl's friends and family may have thought that they'd reached
rock bottom with his conviction, but unbelievably, things got worse.
As Darrell awaited the outcome of his appeal for a
new trial to jurymas conduct, he became embroiled in a
shocking murder for higher plot from behind bars. How in
the world could such a thing happen? While the plot
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unfolded with Darryl Henley using a mobile phone that had
been smuggled to him by Rodney Anderson, a guard at
the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. Darrel paid Rodney
three thousand dollars a month for the phone and told
the guard that he needed it to maintain contact with
his infant daughter, Gia and her mother, Alisa, whom he
reportedly married while serving time. And while this may well
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have been initially true, Daryl's phone linked to the outside
world soon spiraled in a more sinister direction. After being
given a phone number by a cellmate to call an
individual Daryl believed to be Joey Gambino, an older mafioso.
The fallen Cornerback found himself snared in yet another legal
mess because although Darrell thought he was speaking to Joey
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Gambino on the phone, he was in fact talking to
Mike Bansmur, an undercovered Drug Enforcement Administration or DEA agent,
and Mike Bansmur was recording all of his phone conversations
with Daryl Henley. According to Darryl Henley's biographer Michael McKnight,
over the phone, this mafioso offered Henley a stake and
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a lucrative heroin deal. Henley, who was appealing as conviction
based on the jury's misconduct and the prosecut cutian's zealous
drug war tactics, but had run out of money following
a long and cost the trial, considered the mafioso's offer,
then accepted it. Now, Darryl should have known something was
amiss when, after he told Joey Gambino that he didn't
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have any upfront cash for the drug deal, Gambino offered
to murder the cheerleader Tracy Donaho and the presiding judge
Gary Taylor, and to take his fee for those hits
out in Daryl's imminent drug earnings. No need for any
front money, Gambino said, but instead enraged at the injustices
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Daryl felt had been committed at trial and humiliated by
the shame he had heaped upon his family. Darrell agreed
to this deal during a cell phone conversation that, like
all the other ones, was recorded by Joey Gambino, which
wasn't a mafioso at all. With this undercovered DEA agent
with a voice like Don Corleone's. The convict on Daryl
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Henley's cell block who had put the fake mobster in
touch with Daryl was an informant who was released from
prison the day Darryl Henley was charged with murder, solicitation
and heroin trafficking. Now, what had been orchestrated by the
DEA is very arguably entrapment, but nonetheless undercovered DEA agent
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Mike Bansbur had captured Darrel's willingness to participate in a
drug deal and in the orchestrated assassinations of both Judge
Gary Taylor, who had presided over his drug trial, and
Tracy Donaho, whose testimony had been pivotal in his conviction.
For such a naturally intelligent guy, Darryl Henley sure made
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some shockingly foolish decisions. I behaved quote like an idiot,
Daryl would admit later, I did it purely for the money.
I had a baby daughter, my family was broke. I
wanted to fight the verdict. Darryl Henley never denied what
had transpired. He came clean immediately, saying, yeah, I was
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part of the conspiracy to commit murder. But when it
was brought up to me on the phone in jail,
I said, how ridiculous. But an hour later I'm entertaining
the idea, and then I'm on the phone listening to
how it can actually be done. The whole process started
on a Thursday night and ended the next Wednesday, and
shaped the rest of my life. Driven by a mix
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of desperation and perceived sense of injustice over his sentencing,
Darryl Henley had undeniably agreed to the plan proposed by
DEA agent Mike Badsbur under the guise of mafioso Joey Gambino.
He'd been clearly recorded discussing paying one hundred thousand dollars
for each murder, seeking to eliminate those he blamed for
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his legal predicament. Shockingly, Darryll's brother, Eric Henley and another associate,
Jimmy Washington, were also drawn into the wild scheme. Now
Darryl Henley faced additional charges of participating in a drug
conspiracy to raise funds for planned assassinations. His sentence was
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extended by an additional twenty one years for soliciting murder.
What a catastrophic trip from NFL star to twice convicted felon.
Darryl Henley's reality was now forty one years in prison
without parole. Time off for good behavior was still possible,
but it would never exceed a maximum of fifteen percent
(24:32):
of his sentence time. This defendant should be locked down
in the maximum security Marian Facility, US District Judge James
Iiman said, because it is obvious that he is even
more dangerous in custody than out of custody. At the
time of Daryl's sentencing, Marion was known as the toughest
prison in the federal system, where inmates were locked down
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up to twenty three hours per day. Meanwhile, Darrell's brother,
Eric Henley, was sentenced to time at the Federal Penitentiary
in Big Springs, Texas, for his participation in negotiating the
heroin deal, which was part of the scheme to secure
financing for the hits On. Judge Gary Taylor and Tracy Donahoe.
He would not have been in jail if it wasn't
(25:16):
for me. Darryl Henley lamented of his brother's predicament. It
just takes one second to try and pull yourself out
of a spin, and you can find yourself in so
much crap just one second. Tom and Dorothy Henley's resilience
was put to the test as they were dealt with
the gut punch of having two of their beloved sons
behind bars. Life is just devastating. Tom told the La Times.
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Seen your son in those jail uniforms just makes you sick.
The public embarrassment also paying the Henleys who had sacrificed
so much to ensure that their boys would be upright,
high achieving citizens. How can I go to work, Tom
asked reporter T. J. Simers. People looked up to me.
I was a supervisor, and everybody knew Tom Henley was
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somebody you could go to for counseling or help. I
was that father figure for them, and now I have
to go back to work, to my community, to my
church with everyone hearing about all this stuff. I was
a deacon in my church for twenty some odd years,
and I had to resign because the scripture says, if
you cannot run your household, how can you be an
(26:23):
example for someone else. On August eleventh, twenty fifteen, Sports
Illustrated ran an article titled why is Darryl Henley still
in prison? By twenty fifteen, Daryl had served twenty years
of his forty one year sentence and had been relocated
to the low security Federal Correctional Institution in Yazoo City, Mississippi.
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He had earned the transfer there by keeping his head
down during the years he spent at two of the
worst federal prisons in the country, USP Marion in Illinois
and ADYX Florence in Colorado, and by using the education
he gained in parochial schools and at UCLA to help
inmates earn their GEDs. Darrell's co conspirators in the initial
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drug trafficking ring, Rafael Bustamante, William McGowan, and Gary West,
had all been released from prison ten years earlier, but
Daryl was still facing at least another sixteen years behind
bars for his participation in a drug conspiracy to raise
funds for planned assassinations. In the Sports Illustrated article, penned
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by Michael McKnight, a compelling case was made for Darrell's release.
The case for reconsidering Daryl Henley is not an outraged
declaration of his innocence, the article explained. It merely asks
whether the twenty years he has served for his crime
so far, when all of the circumstances are weighed, has
been punishment enough. It is a case for rethinking the
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complex and serpentine facts within Daryl Henley's downfall, including his
in defensible crimes and his hubris, the trait that by
all accounts led to his doubtfall in which by all accounts,
including the Bureau of Prisons, has faded over the last
twenty years into a quiet peace that lingers on him
between visits from his elderly parents Tom and Dorothy, or
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his only daughter, Jea, who is now in college. And
whether you agree with the position that Darryl Henley has
earned due consideration for earlier release or not. The Sports
Illustrated articles certainly re emphasized important questions about our justice system.
After all, just five years after Daryl Henley's initial conviction,
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the Ninth Circuit highlighted the racial bias exhibited by jurors
during his trial. This is in fact the revelation that
prompted a reconsideration of the cases of Daryl Henley's co defendants,
Rafael Bustamante, William McGowan, and Gary West, leading to their
early release due to the compromised integrity of the jury. However,
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Daryl remained incarcerated due to the plea deal he had
accepted in the drugs for Murder scheme orchestrated by undercovered
DEA agents posing A mobsters. Just imagine the mental anguish
of Daryl Henley and his family as they realized he
too could have been released but for this horrible, desperate decision.
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The harsh reality of his lengthy prison sentence and the
mistakes that led him to incarceration have weighed heavily on
Daryl Henley over the years. It's hard to feel sorry
for anyone accused of wanting to kill someone, And how
do you feel sorry? Daryl reflected, I don't want anyone
to feel that way about me, but I need to
salvage the life that I have left. My daughter asks Daddy,
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when are you coming home? When she leaves here? It
breaks my heart. I've gotten mad at God. Why did
you let me have a kid? I have a family
and they depend on me, and so there has to
be something progressive and positive about life. There's too much
at stake. Despite the severity of Darryl Henley's crimes, the
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question of proportionality in sentencing has lingered, prompting calls for
clemency over the years, akin to those granted by President
Obama in July twenty fifteen to other nonviolent drug offenders.
But clemency has never been granted to Darryl Henley, who
must be looking forward to his eligibility for release, now
set for April twenty twenty six, after having spent more
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than half his life behind bars. Darryl Henley's story is
a complex blend. In any way you slice it, there's
more than one dirty player in the mix. Blah, can't
you taste the undertones of iniquity. Darryl Henley's case, even
as his time in jail comes ever closer to completion,
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demands another look, particularly at the entrapment like tactics employed
by the DEA to secure twenty one additional years of
his life. This behavior by the DEA raises significant questions
about the ethics of that institution's operations. In fact, a
slew of similar controversies led to the resignation of the
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Drug Enforcement Administration Chief Michelle Leonhardt on April twenty first,
twenty fifteen. In the end, Darryl Henley's saga serves as
a profound reflection on justice, punishment, and the capacity for
personal growth even in the darkest of times. Daryl is
now a man who will likely be released at age
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sixty one, and who, despite the overwhelming odds and severe
consequences of his actions, continues to seek peace and purpose,
clinging to the possibility of a future where he can
reconcile his past with a meaningful presence in his daughter
Jia's life, and advocate for prison reform from the outside.
(31:54):
I'm your host and Barista extraordinaire, Jay Harris, bringing you
the scandalous sports story Is it Matter? Join me next
week for another juicy episode of Playing Dirty Sports Scandals.
(32:21):
Playing Dirty Sports Scandals is a production of Dan Patrick Productions,
Never Ever Productions and Workhouse Media from executive producers Dan Patrick,
Paul Anderson, Nick Panela, Maya Glickman, and Jennifer Clary, Hosted
by Jay Harris, Written and produced by Jen Brown, Francie Haiks,
Maya Glickman and Jennifer Clarem
Welcome back to playing dirty sports scandals. I'm Jay Harris,
a veteran ESPN sportscaster and your bold barista ever, ready
to serve up a potent blend from the dark side
of sports. Today we steep deeper into the murky saga
of Darryl Henley. Once an NFL standout cornerback, Daryl soon
(00:29):
found himself drowning in bad decisions, cast as a central
figure in a crime that reads like a paperback thriller. Yeah,
(00:49):
this is not a book or a blend that anyone
would want to find themselves in the thick of. But
at the end of last week's episode is where Darryl
Henley was stepping out of his La Rams unifor and
into a jail house orange jumpsuit, with his reputation teetering
on the brink as federal charges related to drug trafficking
were filed against him. The charges and his alleged involvement
(01:12):
shocked Darrell's friends and family alike. His devoted dad, Tom
Henley insisted to La Times reporter T. J. Simers that
Darryl is not exempt from doing wrong. But Daryl is
not a dummy. Here's a young man ready to take
off with the rams. Why would he jeopardize himself and
the family he loves so much for some stupid stuff.
(01:32):
I know he's innocent, but while Daryl's nearest and dares
continued to believe in his innocence, the facts were leading
authorities in a different direction. Darrel's only real hope of
evading the law was for his ex girlfriend, drug mule
and former friend Tracy donaho to refuse to cooperate with authorities.
(01:52):
And why would she do that given the gravity of
her situation being caught smuggling twenty six point four pounds
of cocaine in Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport and Darrell's cleared
duplicity in her own predicament. It wasn't long before Tracy
agreed to cooperate with authorities in exchange for lenient sentencing.
(02:13):
Tracy Donahoe's willingness to turn state's evidence against Daryl Henley
and other members of the drug trafficking ring provided federal
agents with a detailed inside look at the operation, revealing
the mechanics of how the drugs were moved across state lines.
She also identified the roles of the individuals in the
trafficking conspiracy, including Daryl Henley. I was very excited that
(02:36):
Darrell seemed to be interested in me. Tracy testified under
questioning from Assistant US Attorney John Rayburn, painting herself as
having been an enamored, unwitting participant in the operation rather
than a key trafficker. Tracy further admitted that Darrell once
pulled the gun from his glove compartment during one of
their dates, and that he made her listen to part
(02:57):
of a rap song about drug dealers recruiting a young
girl to help them distract police, softening the image of
herself further as a victim rather than a complicit dirty player.
Tracy's testimony became a cornerstone for the prosecution, detailing how
Daryl had masterminded the logistics of transporting large quantities of
(03:17):
cocaine from California to various drop off points across the country.
In the sixty six page statement, Tracy wrote, in the
months following her July nineteen ninety three arrest, she spilled
all the information she knew about the drug trafficking ring,
and in doing so, effectively assured that Daryl would be
spending time behind bars. Prosecutors dropped all charges against Tracy
(03:41):
Donahoe in return for her cooperation, and Daryl Henley was
left to reap what he had allegedly sung. Daryl's beloved
La Rams also grappled with the fallout from their cornerback's
very public come upance. In a desperate attempt to maintain
team focus, the Rams applied for and received a roster
(04:02):
exemption from the NFL. This exemption, which was part of
the collective bargaining agreement between the players and the league,
meant that Daryl continued to receive a salary drawing two
hundred and seventy five thousand dollars in the option year
of his contract, even as he stepped away from the
gridiron and into the glaring lights of his public court battle.
(04:23):
But this money was surely very small consolation for Daryl,
who had brought shame to the team he'd aspired to lead,
and who was now going head to head for his
freedom alongside several criminal associates in the U S District
Court in Santa Ana. His old pal turn threat, Rafael Bustamante,
was also in the spotlight on charges related to the
(04:45):
trafficking ring. At just twenty eight years old, Raphael was
accused of providing multi kilogram quantities of cocaine to Daryl,
underpinning the operation with a hefty supply of narcotics destined
for cross country distribution. While their trafficking partnership wasn't exactly
cartel level activity the operation, Daryl and Rafael stood accused
(05:08):
of orchestrating still bore serious weight as a public threat.
Joining Daryl Henley and Rafael Bustamante and facing the consequences
of the drug ring were Willie McGowan and Gary West.
You remember Gary, right, the guy who couldn't figure out
how to get Tracy Donaho a flight home after her
first drug drop. Yeah, let's just say that Gary and
(05:30):
Willie certainly weren't the head honchos of the operation, but
their involvement was still key. Willie was charged with packaging
the drugs into suitcases that Tracy then transported across the country,
and Gary West was found responsible for collecting these drug
laden suitcases in Tennessee then distributing them within the network.
(05:51):
Willie McGowan was arrested following a federal warrant, and Gary
West was already detained in a Memphis jail on unrelated
charges of course, the indictments extended beyond drug trafficking because
Rafael Bustamante, along with Alejandro Figaro Equavis and James Timothy Says,
(06:13):
faced additional charges of extortion. This was the trio that
it previously confronted Darryl Henley at gunpoint at the RAMS
practice facility in Anaheim, demanding six figures from him for
the cocaine shipment intercepted by the DEA in Atlanta. These
extortion charges had serious penalties, with the potential for each
(06:34):
of the men to face up to twenty years in
prison with fines reaching two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
But more importantly, this superseding indictment by prosecutors was strategically
done so that all the defendants could be tried together,
painting a picture of a tightly knit criminal network, and
US Attorney Deirdre z Elliott argued at the center of
(06:57):
that criminal network was Darryl Henley. The indictment alleges that
this was a sophisticated drug trafficking ring that extended from
southern California to Tennessee and Georgia. Darryl Henley allegedly played
an integral role US Attorney Elliott declared Daryl was staring
down a potential life sentence and fines of up to
(07:18):
eight million dollars if convicted on counts of conspiracy and
intent to distribute cocaine. As his high stakes trial commenced
at the US District Court in Santa Anna, California, it
initially drew outsized media attention. Famed defense attorney Roger Cossack,
(07:39):
who would just one year later become the legal analyst
for CNN and go on to host the award winning
legal show Burden of Proof, took center stage as Darrell's council,
presenting a narrative to the jury of entrapment and deceit
gambits aimed at exonerating his client. In his opening statement,
attorney Cossack artful portrayed Daryl as a victim of a
(08:02):
calculated frame up orchestrated by former RAMS cheerleader Tracy and
Donahope and her parents. Now, this is a classic defense
tactic to attack the cooperating witness, and sometimes it actually works,
but not often. Federal prosecutors have a nearly ninety nine
percent conviction rate, making losses extremely rare. Still, the stats
(08:27):
didn't stop Attorney Cossack from trying. There is a conspiracy
in this case, a nasty, nasty one, Attorney Cossack told
the jurys emphatically. He suggested that the conspiracy was hatched
within the Donahoe household by Tracy's parents, specifically to ensnare
Darryl Henley and shield their daughter from severe legal consequences.
(08:48):
According to Attorney Cossack, Tracy Donahoe, who had pleaded guilty
to conspiracy to transport cocaine in nineteen ninety three, was
an unreliable witness whose testimony was motivated by her desire
to avoid prison. But the prosecution painted a starkly different
picture of Daryl Henley. Assistant US Attorney Deirdrezi Elliott described
(09:10):
Henley as the mastermind behind the cocaine trafficking operation, a
legend that he exploited his status as an NFL star
to lure Tracy Donahoe into criminal activities. The prosecutor's theory
was that Darrell had seduced young and impressionable Tracy with gifts, money,
and trips, convincing her to transport suitcases filled with what
(09:32):
he claimed was real estate money, but which in fact
contained cocaine. The case against Daryl was further supported by
a variety of traditional evidence, including bank records, car rental receipts,
and other documents that prosecutors argued linked him to the
drug trafficking ring. These people left paper trails all over
(09:56):
the place, Elliott asserted, indicating that the financial transaction and
logistical arrangements would definitively tie Darryl Henley to illicit activities.
Defense attorney Cossack countered the prosecution's damning claims by insisting
that Darrell's connections to the co defendants, all of whom
had prior criminal records, were innocent and that his client
(10:18):
had never knowingly engaged in any drug conspiracy. He further
argued that Darrell's signature was forged on certain receipts, casting
doubt on the authenticity of the evidence presented by the prosecution. Naturally,
Attorney Cossack also highlighted Darryl Henley's well known background as
a model citizen and a dedicated athlete, suggesting that the
(10:42):
charges against him were out of character and fabricated by
those seeking to exploit his celebrity status. And let's face it,
with Darrell's family background of high achievement and ingrained ethics.
Attorney Cossack's tactics could have worked, especially since a drug
conspirac seems so wildly out of character for Daryl and
(11:03):
so unnecessary giving his high earnings from the NFL. Why,
the defense veteran argued, would a successful young NFL cornerback
need money from narcotics trafficking? It was a reasonable question
to ask, and it opened the door for defense attorney
Cossack to attempt to remind the jury of Darryl Henley's
(11:24):
many achievements instellar track record prior to the drug trafficking allegations.
Darryl Henley is a young man who, but for this,
has the world by the tail, Attorney Cossack concluded, suggesting
that his client had everything to lose and nothing to
gain from involving himself in illegal activities. As Darryl Henley's
(11:48):
trial was heating up in Orange County, it was overshadowed
by another sports scandal that gripped the nation, the oj
Simpson murder trial. On March twenty eighth, nineteen ninety five,
the very same day that Cat o'kalin stepped down from
the witness stand in downtown Los Angeles, the less publicized
federal drug trial involving Daryl Henley was reaching its critical stages,
(12:12):
Yet despite its serious implications, Darrell's trial struggled to capture
nearly as much public attention as OJ Simpson's courtroom drama,
which was unfolding just twenty miles away in Judge Lance
Edo's courtroom. Losing the media spectacle that had swarmed Daryl
Henley's legal proceedings prior to the OJ Simpson trial was
(12:33):
ironically unfortunate because issues arose within the jury of Daryl
Henley's trial that threatened the integrity of the judicial process,
and there weren't impartial journalists reporting on these issues sufficiently
due to their collective focus on OJ Simpson's fate. One
juror and the Darrell Henley case exhibited clear racial bias
(12:56):
by referring to the defendants using racial slurs, the same
juror voice the prejudiced expectation of the trial's outcome, suggesting
that the defendants were quote gonna hang unquote. This blatant
bias alone raised alarming questions about the fairness of Darrell's
trial and severely compromise the impartiality required of jurors. After all,
(13:20):
if a juror exhibits or advocates a racially biased attitude,
they can't possibly be fair to a defendant like Daryl Henley,
who was African American. Racial bias is a massive constitutional issue,
and in and of itself can be grounds for a
defendant to receive a whole new trial. Further complicating the
(13:40):
proceedings integrity, a second juror admitted to using methamphetamine throughout
the duration of Daryl Henley's trial. This substance abuse could
have significantly impaired this juror's ability to process information and
make judicious decisions based on the evidence presented, not to
mention that this thisch juror likely lied in jury selection,
(14:03):
since all prospective jurors must have been asked about their
drug usage before being picked for a drug trafficking trial.
As if all of this wasn't bad enough, a third
juror not only discussed the case with other jurors outside
the courtroom, an act which is strictly prohibited to preserve
(14:23):
the integrity of the trial process, but also engaged in
a direct attempt to tamper with the trial's outcome. This
juror approached Daryl Henley's residence unsolicited and proposed a bribe
if he helped deliver a not guilty verdict. The discussion
about this bribe extended to a detailed negotiation over payment,
(14:45):
which was to be between twenty five thousand and fifty
thousand dollars. The juror requested to speak directly to Daryl
and subsequently made a phone call to arrange the details
of the bribe, initially agreeing to accept the money before
ultimately deciding against participating in the scheme. Darryl Henley was
apparently willing to pay the bribe money and willingly engaged
(15:09):
in these discussions with the juror. Wow These incidents of
misconduct underscored a fundamental breach of the principles that underpin
our justice system, particularly their requirement for an impartial jury.
But despite the serious concerns raised by the behavior of
three out of twelve jurors that's twenty five percent of
(15:30):
the jury, the trial proceeded to its conclusion. Now, to
be fair to the court, most of these issues were
uncovered after the trial had long ended, and once the
depth of the issues came to light, it did prompt
a response from higher courts. In two thousand and one,
after extensive FBI investigation and court testimony, the Ninth Circuit
(15:52):
Court of Appeals strongly admonished the trial judge Gary Taylor,
emphasizing that the presence of bias from even a sink
ingle juror violates the sixth Amendment, which is fundamental to
ensuring a fair trial. But none of this covered up
information helped Daryl Henley. On March twenty eighth, nineteen ninety five,
when the jury delivered a guilty verdict, several jurors reportedly
(16:20):
wept as they exited the courtroom, reflecting the emotional weight
of their decision and possibly their guilt in not coming
forward about any misconduct to which they've been witnessed. I
feel bad, juror Sean O'Reilly, of forty one year old
truck driver, told the La Times, I don't like to
see anyone go to jail. But he dealt in misery.
(16:41):
Cocaine ruins a lot of lives. Michael McKnight, who spent
eight years researching Daryl Henley's rise and fall for his
book Intercepted, noted that many jurors found it difficult to
accept that Daryl Henley would be sentenced to at least
the mandatory minimum of ten years in federal prison, and
they had a dilemma establishing his motive too. After all,
(17:05):
how could they rationalize Darrell's participation in the drug trafficking
when there was no reasonable motive for him to have participated.
Why would someone so successful get involved in something like this?
Set a juror named Dave who declined to reveal his
last name. That was a number one reason people at
a hard time agreeing on a guilty verdict. The god
(17:26):
was making up with a six hundred thousand dollars a year.
It did seem way out of character for Daryl Henley,
but the jury's incredulity was not enough to sway their
final verdict in light of the evidence presented, and Judge
Gary Taylor certainly did not let sentimentality cloud his sentencing.
He hammered Daryl Henley, sentencing him to twenty years in prison.
(17:53):
In the tumultuous aftermath of Daryl Henley's conviction, his friends
and family provided unwavering support. I'm speechless, said La Rams
defensive team captain Anthony Newman when he learned about the
guilty verdict. When I walked in the door and found out,
it was like my heart had broken in half. I
don't stand up for anybody dealing in drugs or anything
(18:16):
like that, but Daryl is like a brother to me,
and I don't believe he had anything to do with
drug trafficking. And that's what I will believe until the
day I die. I've been around the guy for seven years.
I don't care if they convicted him or not. There's
no way he did this. Those are some powerful words
(18:37):
from her friend and teammate who knew Daryl well. Tom Henley,
Darrell's father, also didn't pull any punches and expressing his
disbelief publicly, Darrell had everything. There is just no reason
for him to traffic drugs. Tom asserted, encapsulating the family
shock and confusion over Darrell's alleged role as a drug lord.
(19:00):
Dorothy Henley, Daryl's mother, also grappled with the verdict, her
faith deeply shaken. Carrying a three page letter from Daryl
in her purse like a talisman, she remembered the moment
the verdict was delivered. When the verdict came down, I
was upset at God. I felt like God had failed me.
(19:21):
Daryl's friends and family may have thought that they'd reached
rock bottom with his conviction, but unbelievably, things got worse.
As Darrell awaited the outcome of his appeal for a
new trial to jurymas conduct, he became embroiled in a
shocking murder for higher plot from behind bars. How in
the world could such a thing happen? While the plot
(19:45):
unfolded with Darryl Henley using a mobile phone that had
been smuggled to him by Rodney Anderson, a guard at
the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. Darrel paid Rodney
three thousand dollars a month for the phone and told
the guard that he needed it to maintain contact with
his infant daughter, Gia and her mother, Alisa, whom he
reportedly married while serving time. And while this may well
(20:09):
have been initially true, Daryl's phone linked to the outside
world soon spiraled in a more sinister direction. After being
given a phone number by a cellmate to call an
individual Daryl believed to be Joey Gambino, an older mafioso.
The fallen Cornerback found himself snared in yet another legal
mess because although Darrell thought he was speaking to Joey
(20:32):
Gambino on the phone, he was in fact talking to
Mike Bansmur, an undercovered Drug Enforcement Administration or DEA agent,
and Mike Bansmur was recording all of his phone conversations
with Daryl Henley. According to Darryl Henley's biographer Michael McKnight,
over the phone, this mafioso offered Henley a stake and
(20:53):
a lucrative heroin deal. Henley, who was appealing as conviction
based on the jury's misconduct and the prosecut cutian's zealous
drug war tactics, but had run out of money following
a long and cost the trial, considered the mafioso's offer,
then accepted it. Now, Darryl should have known something was
amiss when, after he told Joey Gambino that he didn't
(21:16):
have any upfront cash for the drug deal, Gambino offered
to murder the cheerleader Tracy Donaho and the presiding judge
Gary Taylor, and to take his fee for those hits
out in Daryl's imminent drug earnings. No need for any
front money, Gambino said, but instead enraged at the injustices
(21:37):
Daryl felt had been committed at trial and humiliated by
the shame he had heaped upon his family. Darrell agreed
to this deal during a cell phone conversation that, like
all the other ones, was recorded by Joey Gambino, which
wasn't a mafioso at all. With this undercovered DEA agent
with a voice like Don Corleone's. The convict on Daryl
(21:58):
Henley's cell block who had put the fake mobster in
touch with Daryl was an informant who was released from
prison the day Darryl Henley was charged with murder, solicitation
and heroin trafficking. Now, what had been orchestrated by the
DEA is very arguably entrapment, but nonetheless undercovered DEA agent
(22:22):
Mike Bansbur had captured Darrel's willingness to participate in a
drug deal and in the orchestrated assassinations of both Judge
Gary Taylor, who had presided over his drug trial, and
Tracy Donaho, whose testimony had been pivotal in his conviction.
For such a naturally intelligent guy, Darryl Henley sure made
(22:43):
some shockingly foolish decisions. I behaved quote like an idiot,
Daryl would admit later, I did it purely for the money.
I had a baby daughter, my family was broke. I
wanted to fight the verdict. Darryl Henley never denied what
had transpired. He came clean immediately, saying, yeah, I was
(23:05):
part of the conspiracy to commit murder. But when it
was brought up to me on the phone in jail,
I said, how ridiculous. But an hour later I'm entertaining
the idea, and then I'm on the phone listening to
how it can actually be done. The whole process started
on a Thursday night and ended the next Wednesday, and
shaped the rest of my life. Driven by a mix
(23:27):
of desperation and perceived sense of injustice over his sentencing,
Darryl Henley had undeniably agreed to the plan proposed by
DEA agent Mike Badsbur under the guise of mafioso Joey Gambino.
He'd been clearly recorded discussing paying one hundred thousand dollars
for each murder, seeking to eliminate those he blamed for
(23:48):
his legal predicament. Shockingly, Darryll's brother, Eric Henley and another associate,
Jimmy Washington, were also drawn into the wild scheme. Now
Darryl Henley faced additional charges of participating in a drug
conspiracy to raise funds for planned assassinations. His sentence was
(24:11):
extended by an additional twenty one years for soliciting murder.
What a catastrophic trip from NFL star to twice convicted felon.
Darryl Henley's reality was now forty one years in prison
without parole. Time off for good behavior was still possible,
but it would never exceed a maximum of fifteen percent
(24:32):
of his sentence time. This defendant should be locked down
in the maximum security Marian Facility, US District Judge James
Iiman said, because it is obvious that he is even
more dangerous in custody than out of custody. At the
time of Daryl's sentencing, Marion was known as the toughest
prison in the federal system, where inmates were locked down
(24:54):
up to twenty three hours per day. Meanwhile, Darrell's brother,
Eric Henley, was sentenced to time at the Federal Penitentiary
in Big Springs, Texas, for his participation in negotiating the
heroin deal, which was part of the scheme to secure
financing for the hits On. Judge Gary Taylor and Tracy Donahoe.
He would not have been in jail if it wasn't
(25:16):
for me. Darryl Henley lamented of his brother's predicament. It
just takes one second to try and pull yourself out
of a spin, and you can find yourself in so
much crap just one second. Tom and Dorothy Henley's resilience
was put to the test as they were dealt with
the gut punch of having two of their beloved sons
behind bars. Life is just devastating. Tom told the La Times.
(25:40):
Seen your son in those jail uniforms just makes you sick.
The public embarrassment also paying the Henleys who had sacrificed
so much to ensure that their boys would be upright,
high achieving citizens. How can I go to work, Tom
asked reporter T. J. Simers. People looked up to me.
I was a supervisor, and everybody knew Tom Henley was
(26:02):
somebody you could go to for counseling or help. I
was that father figure for them, and now I have
to go back to work, to my community, to my
church with everyone hearing about all this stuff. I was
a deacon in my church for twenty some odd years,
and I had to resign because the scripture says, if
you cannot run your household, how can you be an
(26:23):
example for someone else. On August eleventh, twenty fifteen, Sports
Illustrated ran an article titled why is Darryl Henley still
in prison? By twenty fifteen, Daryl had served twenty years
of his forty one year sentence and had been relocated
to the low security Federal Correctional Institution in Yazoo City, Mississippi.
(26:47):
He had earned the transfer there by keeping his head
down during the years he spent at two of the
worst federal prisons in the country, USP Marion in Illinois
and ADYX Florence in Colorado, and by using the education
he gained in parochial schools and at UCLA to help
inmates earn their GEDs. Darrell's co conspirators in the initial
(27:10):
drug trafficking ring, Rafael Bustamante, William McGowan, and Gary West,
had all been released from prison ten years earlier, but
Daryl was still facing at least another sixteen years behind
bars for his participation in a drug conspiracy to raise
funds for planned assassinations. In the Sports Illustrated article, penned
(27:32):
by Michael McKnight, a compelling case was made for Darrell's release.
The case for reconsidering Daryl Henley is not an outraged
declaration of his innocence, the article explained. It merely asks
whether the twenty years he has served for his crime
so far, when all of the circumstances are weighed, has
been punishment enough. It is a case for rethinking the
(27:54):
complex and serpentine facts within Daryl Henley's downfall, including his
in defensible crimes and his hubris, the trait that by
all accounts led to his doubtfall in which by all accounts,
including the Bureau of Prisons, has faded over the last
twenty years into a quiet peace that lingers on him
between visits from his elderly parents Tom and Dorothy, or
(28:18):
his only daughter, Jea, who is now in college. And
whether you agree with the position that Darryl Henley has
earned due consideration for earlier release or not. The Sports
Illustrated articles certainly re emphasized important questions about our justice system.
After all, just five years after Daryl Henley's initial conviction,
(28:39):
the Ninth Circuit highlighted the racial bias exhibited by jurors
during his trial. This is in fact the revelation that
prompted a reconsideration of the cases of Daryl Henley's co defendants,
Rafael Bustamante, William McGowan, and Gary West, leading to their
early release due to the compromised integrity of the jury. However,
(29:01):
Daryl remained incarcerated due to the plea deal he had
accepted in the drugs for Murder scheme orchestrated by undercovered
DEA agents posing A mobsters. Just imagine the mental anguish
of Daryl Henley and his family as they realized he
too could have been released but for this horrible, desperate decision.
(29:25):
The harsh reality of his lengthy prison sentence and the
mistakes that led him to incarceration have weighed heavily on
Daryl Henley over the years. It's hard to feel sorry
for anyone accused of wanting to kill someone, And how
do you feel sorry? Daryl reflected, I don't want anyone
to feel that way about me, but I need to
salvage the life that I have left. My daughter asks Daddy,
(29:47):
when are you coming home? When she leaves here? It
breaks my heart. I've gotten mad at God. Why did
you let me have a kid? I have a family
and they depend on me, and so there has to
be something progressive and positive about life. There's too much
at stake. Despite the severity of Darryl Henley's crimes, the
(30:08):
question of proportionality in sentencing has lingered, prompting calls for
clemency over the years, akin to those granted by President
Obama in July twenty fifteen to other nonviolent drug offenders.
But clemency has never been granted to Darryl Henley, who
must be looking forward to his eligibility for release, now
set for April twenty twenty six, after having spent more
(30:30):
than half his life behind bars. Darryl Henley's story is
a complex blend. In any way you slice it, there's
more than one dirty player in the mix. Blah, can't
you taste the undertones of iniquity. Darryl Henley's case, even
as his time in jail comes ever closer to completion,
(30:52):
demands another look, particularly at the entrapment like tactics employed
by the DEA to secure twenty one additional years of
his life. This behavior by the DEA raises significant questions
about the ethics of that institution's operations. In fact, a
slew of similar controversies led to the resignation of the
(31:13):
Drug Enforcement Administration Chief Michelle Leonhardt on April twenty first,
twenty fifteen. In the end, Darryl Henley's saga serves as
a profound reflection on justice, punishment, and the capacity for
personal growth even in the darkest of times. Daryl is
now a man who will likely be released at age
(31:34):
sixty one, and who, despite the overwhelming odds and severe
consequences of his actions, continues to seek peace and purpose,
clinging to the possibility of a future where he can
reconcile his past with a meaningful presence in his daughter
Jia's life, and advocate for prison reform from the outside.
(31:54):
I'm your host and Barista extraordinaire, Jay Harris, bringing you
the scandalous sports story Is it Matter? Join me next
week for another juicy episode of Playing Dirty Sports Scandals.
(32:21):
Playing Dirty Sports Scandals is a production of Dan Patrick Productions,
Never Ever Productions and Workhouse Media from executive producers Dan Patrick,
Paul Anderson, Nick Panela, Maya Glickman, and Jennifer Clary, Hosted
by Jay Harris, Written and produced by Jen Brown, Francie Haiks,
Maya Glickman and Jennifer Clarem
Hosts And Creators
Todd "Fritzy" Fritz
Dan Patrick
Patrick "Seton" O'Connor
Paul Pabst
Marvin Prince
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