Jackie's Story: From Super Bowl to Homeless. A Photojournalist's Divine Appointment

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A chance assignment to photograph a homeless camp became a 35-year redemption story when photojournalist Ted Jackson stumbled upon Jackie Wallace sleeping under a New Orleans bridge. What seemed like an ordinary July day in 1990 transformed into an extraordinary journey when the homeless man uttered six words that would change both their lives forever: "You ought to do a story about me."

Behind those words lay an astonishing truth—this disheveled man had played in three Super Bowls, setting NFL records during his career with the Vikings, Colts, and Rams. Ted's subsequent newspaper story launched Jackie from the streets into rehabilitation, marriage, and twelve years of sobriety before addiction's cruel grip pulled him back under. Their paths would cross again years later, leading to renewed friendship and ultimately culminating in their co-authored book published by HarperCollins: "You Ought to Do a Story About Me: Addiction, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Endless Quest for Redemption."

Ted frames their unexpected connection as a divine appointment, explaining how God positions us precisely where we need to be—if only we have eyes to notice the opportunities and courage to step through open doors. Jackie's journey shatters misconceptions about addiction, revealing how even a "squeaky clean" Christian athlete fell into crack cocaine's grasp following his mother's death. Through their story, we witness addiction's devastating power alongside the equally powerful forces of friendship, faith, and persistent grace.

The relationship between these unlikely friends offers profound insights into redemption as an ongoing process rather than a one-time event. As Ted shares their experience navigating the complexities of supporting someone in recovery—even dividing book proceeds in ways that wouldn't enable relapse—listeners gain practical wisdom about walking alongside those struggling with addiction. Their story reminds us that God's work often unfolds in the most unexpected encounters, through ordinary people willing to see others through His eyes.

Visit tedjacksonphoto.com to explore Ted's photography portfolio and find links to their powerful book that continues changing lives across the country.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, I am a retired, semi-retired photojournalist
with the Times-Picayune and livein Covington.
I grew up in Macomb,mississippi, was raised in the
Church of Christ.
I am now a member of the FirstBaptist Covington here in
Covington.
Just love telling my storiesthat I collected over the
decades with my work at thenewspaper.

(00:21):
Go ahead, tell us Okay with mywork at the newspaper.
Go ahead, tell us Okay.
Well, I will start in mychildhood and just bring it
forward very quickly.
Growing up in church, I oftenheard the stories about the
parables of the talent.
When my mom told me howtalented I was with my art
skills, I took that to heart andI always thought that I needed

(00:44):
to grow up with theresponsibility to use my talents
for God.
And so as the years progressed,I found myself as a staff
photographer with theTimes-Picayune and I always
looked for opportunities to dostories of people who had no
voice, which of course thatalways led to poverty and drug
abuse and those kinds of thingsand social issues.

(01:06):
So one day in 1990, it was avery hot day, july 3rd 1990, my
editor walked into the darkroomand mentioned a homeless camp
that he had seen underCarrollton Overpass.
He said you know, you're notdoing anything, just go check it
out.
Nothing expected, no pressureof any kind of productivity,

(01:29):
just go check it out.
And so I headed down there.
And the camp he was referringto was unique in that it had
living kind of a living room,look to it, couches and chairs,
kind of arranged in a semicircle.
But when I got there it wastorn up upside down, ripped
apart, and there was no onethere, although it had only been

(01:50):
two or three days since myeditor had seen it.
So I headed back to my car.
In about, I'd say about 100yards or maybe a little bit more
, I almost literally stumbledover a man sleeping on a rusty
box spring and I thought hiscamp was very unique, looking
very organized, you know, sockstucked in, shoes lined up

(02:14):
straight.
He even had a newspaper foldedneatly at his elbow.
So I kind of climbed up on thebridge girders above him and
shot a picture, and I had nointentions of using that for
anything, it just was a recordof a unique camp that I saw.
And I climbed back down and wokehim up because I wanted to know

(02:35):
what had happened to thecampsite.
He told me that he thought thatteenagers had been shooting
their guns into the camp whenthey drove by on the interstate
and ran the guys off.
And then he asked me why.
I wanted to know.
Told him I was with thenewspaper and he said that got
his attention.
Of course.
I had two cameras slung aroundmy shoulders and that's when he
said that you ought to do astory about me.

(02:57):
And I said why would I want todo that?
Kind of chuckled because I hearthat a lot as a newspaper
photographer.
And he said because I've playedin three Super Bowls and I
didn't believe it.
I asked him his name.
I thought he was just kind ofhigh on crack and delirious or
whatever it might be anddelusional.
Turned out he was telling thetruth and my editors at the

(03:18):
newspaper confirmed who he was.
Jackie Wallace played at St AugHigh School as quarterback
quarterback, became anAll-American cornerback punt
returner at Arizona and wasdrafted by the Vikings, played
with the Colts and finished hiscareer with the Rams and at the
Rams he set a punt return recordthat still stands in the NFL

(03:39):
today.
So to fast forward, a storyappeared in the newspaper that
next Friday he was swept up offthe streets and was soon in a
rehab in Baltimore, where he wasclean and sober, came back and
talked his or charmed his wayinto the newsroom to invite me

(04:00):
to his wedding.
He had met a woman and they werewere getting married and they
were buying a house and it was aglorious, happy ever after.
So that's kind of the nutshellof it.
But digging just a bit deeper,jackie and Debra lived happily
ever after for 12 years and thenthey had a fight and Jackie

(04:22):
disappeared again.
That was kind of like theculmination of a dream
assignment that turned outincredibly well an incredible
well-designed display for aHallmark movie but then crashed
and burned and so I spent 12years after that.
It seems like Jackie's liferuns in segments of 12 years.

(04:44):
Years after that it seems likeJackie's life runs in segments
of 12 years.
But 12 years after that I wasso disturbed by the memory of
that story and, not knowing that, I made a vow to God.
Actually, I was laying in a bedin a homeless camp doing a story
on the New Orleans Mission whenI decided it was time to find
Jackie again, and so it was thatnext search, just a few years

(05:06):
ago actually, that it took quitea while, many months, but I
found him in a rehab kind of ahalfway house, and he had been
clean this time for three years.
We did an update story.
Jackie was thrilled to see me,as I was to see him, and after
that together we wrote a bookpublished by HarperCollins in

(05:27):
2020.
And it's done quite well, hasmade some amazing inroads in
telling Jackie's story and thestory of redemption.
It up on the Today Show with AlRoker in an interview to tell
the story himself.
So it's been quite a journeyover the last 33, 35 years or so
and Jackie and I are nowwonderful friends who keep up

(05:50):
and praise God for every memoryof meeting that day under the
bridge.

Speaker 2 (05:55):
That's an incredible story.
Remember the name from football.
I've heard it.
I used to live in Iowa so wefollowed the Vikings growing up.
When you look back over thatwhole story, in your initial
assignment your editor said goon down and check out that
homeless camp.
God was in all that.

(06:16):
Divine appointments, I alwayscall them.
God likes to put us in theright place at the right time,
even though we may not know it'sthe right time and the right
place.
Have you found that out in yourjob?

Speaker 1 (06:28):
I absolutely have.
I call it the doors ofopportunity that open around us
all the time.
And our job, I guess, in a wayas Christians and followers and
disciples, is to notice them.
And once we notice them, wehave to have the courage to step
through them, regardless ofwhere it might lead us, because

(06:49):
if we determine that they'reopen by God, then that's our
duty.
I think that we're afraid to dothat.
So many times, I know I've beenafraid many times, you know, of
what might come next, but theblessings that come from them is
just amazing.
And when Jackie and I were, wedid extensive interviews to
write the book, of course.
And one day I was, we weresitting at the lakefront on Lake

(07:12):
Pontchartrain, one day, sittingin my car, jackie telling me
you know like three hours worthof stories you know of his life.
And I said you know, jackie, Ifeel like God gave me the talent
and the camera skills to put mein a place where I would meet
you that day.
Amen, I feel like that was thepurpose.
And his eyes lit up and helaughed out loud and he said

(07:35):
I've always thought the samething about playing football.
He said all of that was just tomeet you that day so that our
lives could culminate in whatwe're doing right now.
That's always been that winkand a nudge we've had with each
other ever since that day.
Before I forget what is thetitle of the book the title of

(07:56):
the book is what Jackie said tome under the bridge that day you
ought to do a story about me.
And it has a subtitle too.
That is Addiction, an UnlikelyFriendship and the Endless Quest
for Redemption.

Speaker 2 (08:10):
Is that what happened with Jackie?
Did he have an addiction?

Speaker 1 (08:13):
He was addicted to crack cocaine.
That's what put him under thebridge.
The bridge and most peopleinitially assume as probably I
did too that the spotlight andthe glamour of the glory of NFL
and the money drove him to, youknow, abusing drugs and things
like that.
But that wasn't the case withJackie.

(08:34):
He was one of these squeakyclean kids who had a great
family, got a great education atSt Aug and was always nurtured
to be the upstanding Christianyoung man, and he excelled at
that.
He was just charitable.
He once told me that even whenthe classmate's pencil fell on
the floor, he hesitated to pickit up because it would look like

(08:56):
he was trying to steal it.
He was that kind of a goody guy.
But when his mother died afterhe had left football and he felt
so much guilt over that andsorrow, he tells me that he felt
like he had lost the one personin the world who loved him
unconditionally, and the nightof her funeral he went and tried

(09:17):
crack cocaine for the firsttime.

Speaker 2 (09:19):
Wow, what an amazing story as a staff photographer
you're semi-retired, right withTimes-Picayune.

Speaker 1 (09:29):
Yes, I actually retired from I took the official
retirement from theTimes-Picayune so that I could
have the time to write this book, and so it's been quite a
blessing.
And once I finished with thebook, then I went back to
freelancing, which I really Ithoroughly enjoy picking up jobs
when they come in andcontinuing my journalism.

Speaker 2 (09:48):
Sometimes people will ask me well, how many people
listen to your radio show or howmany people listen to your
podcast?
And I tell them I don't knowand I really don't care, because
I'm speaking to the one personthat needs to hear this.
You met that one person, oneperson out of the hundreds and

(10:10):
thousands you probably saw overyour lifetime as a photographer.
That one person, you made adifference in his life.
That is pretty awesome.

Speaker 1 (10:19):
Well, I think we've all heard the little story about
the guy walking along the beachand throwing starfish back into
the water and someone sayingyou can't possibly make a
difference, look at the starfishon this beach.
And he picked up the next oneand threw it in.
He said I made a difference tothat one and that has always
been the approach, especiallywith Jackie.

(10:40):
But in my understanding of howwe affect change is one person
at a time, and our church acouple of years ago now handed
out little memory bracelets thatyou wear to remind you of
something noble and the campaignat that time was who's your One
?
I really love reaching thatthat.

(11:01):
We can't reach everyone, but wecan all reach one and Jackie
has always been very, very highon my list of the one.

Speaker 2 (11:08):
You know, yesterday after I talked with you and I
knew I was going to call youtoday and interview you, I
always think, wonder what thetitle of this show would be.
And the first thing that camein my head I don't know if it
was me or the Holy Spirit orboth or whatever was the Good
Samaritan you ever think of that.
The story of the Good Samaritanand your story kind of parallel

(11:29):
each other.

Speaker 1 (11:30):
I do, and you know it can go a lot of different ways.
You know Jackie was a prodigalson and Jackie continues, you
know, through his life.
The problem with addiction Ifind especially substance abuse
like this is that when someonefails, even when they're just
being weak-willed or whatever itis, and they fail and then they

(11:51):
find themselves in the pigtrough and eating the scraps,
they come to their senses andthey want to come home.
A lot of times family andfriends, they tend to reject
them and repel them away becausethey have made such an
egregious error in their life.
And I think of that a lot.
You know, good Samaritan, orwhatever you might call it.

(12:13):
I just feel like you know Godcalls us to reach out to people
like this and to help them alongthe way.
Because something I learned inwriting the book is that I asked
a chaplain one day to explainto me what it was like to be
addicted and to recover fromcrack cocaine and I said I need
you to describe that to mebecause I've never been addicted

(12:33):
to anything.
And he looked at me and he saidoh really.
He said check your closets.
We're all addicted to something.
I know people will recoil fromthat idea if they've never
thought about it too deeply.
But you think about somethingthat you just mentally,
physically, you can't livewithout.
You have to have somethingspecific in your life.

(12:56):
Some people instantly think ofchocolate, cake or Cokes or
their smartphone or somethinglike that.
But when I dug deep in my ownheart, I thought, well, the one
thing that I cannot live withoutwould have to be my
grandchildren.
I love them to death.
I cannot imagine going withouthugs and visits.

(13:17):
And that's what the chaplain wastrying to get at with me.
He was saying that the wayJackie's brain looks at crack
cocaine says, as evil and nastyas that sounds, that's the way
his brain sees that.
And so when, when you think ofJackie Wallace, a crack addict
who was pulled out from underthe bridge and was given a

(13:39):
second chance, he said he had towake up every morning not to
see his grandchildren because heknew now that it was bad and
very destructive for him, healthand family and everything else
about his life.
And Jackie Wallace survivedthat for 12 years.
Wow, and yet to think of that.
And when he fails, when hemessed up again, oh God, I'm not

(14:02):
going to kick him out, I'mgoing to do what I can to help
him get back on that path againand to get back where he needs
to be.
So I think of it every timethat I fail myself or when I
fail God in something that I'mreally trying to achieve.
You don't do it by willpower.
You just don't do it bywillpower.
You do it by the grace of Godand His strength.

(14:24):
That helps us.

Speaker 2 (14:25):
Yeah, and if we really think, ted, sometimes
just dwell on the fact that, howGod picked us up under a bridge
and dusted us off and took allthe filth and trash out of our
life and gave us a whole new webecame a new creation in Him.
To not want to give it back, orwhat do they say, pay it

(14:45):
forward, to go out there and notlook at people as homeless but
look at them through the eyes ofJesus, it's a different
reaction.
Like I will give people on thestreet corner some money and
people say that's dumb, ron, whydo you do that?
You don't know what they'regoing to do with the money.
I said, well, I hope they dosomething wise with it, but I'm
not going to do.

(15:06):
It's just the right thing to do.
I feel Jesus would do that.
Does that make sense?

Speaker 1 (15:10):
Yeah, and I do have a different approach on that, but
I do feel like we can't ignorethem.
I feel like and I'll give youmy personal example but I love
donating to charities that Ihave researched and find that
are very helpful in securingfutures and being able to sort

(15:30):
out these kinds of addictionissues in people's lives.
My personal example of this waswhen I got a book deal with
HarperCollins to write the book,with HarperCollins to write the
book, and in thinking aboutthat they were going to give me
an advance, a nice littleadvance that I was going to be
able to live on while I wrotethe book.
And just thinking about it,well, jackie Wallace is going to

(15:51):
have to sit with me in a car orsit with me in a room or go to
the library and spend countless,countless hours.
And this is Jackie's story asmuch as it is mine.
It's kind of both of ourstories.
And I said Jackie deserves someof this money too, and so we
decided that the money would besplit between the two of us.

(16:12):
That was a decision madebetween me and my agent.
But then came the dilemma on howdo you give money to a crack
addict, because he's alwaysgoing to be a crack addict, but
he did it in his hands.
What will he do?
And I just cringed at the ideathat Jackie would be using some
of this money to hand over to acrack dealer.

(16:33):
And I talked to all kinds offolks on how to handle this and
we thought about trust funds.
I talked to Jackie.
He said, oh, absolutely don'tgive me money.
He said money is my leash.
When I don't have money, that'sthe leash that keeps me off
drugs.
And so we developed thesestrategies and we were able to

(16:55):
give the money out in incrementsat moments and in times that we
knew exactly where it was goingto go and that it was going to
good purposes and good needs.
The money that we were able togive in would just free up the
other money that you didn't haveto pay for rent.
So it was very complicated,yeah, but Jackie agreed.

(17:15):
You know that that's the way weshould handle it and that's
what we did well, and you justwere speaking to me.

Speaker 2 (17:25):
In that it's maybe a different way that I approach
things too, because I know a lotof people here on the gulf
coast that do work with thehomeless and give them resources
.
I I appreciate that bit ofwisdom.
I want to ask you to dosomething for me before we go.
There's people out there rightnow listening that don't think,
well, I could never do that.
Or boy, that never happens tome.
Or you know they would like tohelp someone, but they just
don't think, well, I could neverdo that.
Or well, that never happens tome.
Or you know they would like tohelp someone, but they just

(17:47):
don't have the courage orthey're afraid to.
You can speak to that personnow.
What would you tell them?

Speaker 1 (17:52):
Well, I think we all have different skill sets.
You know, my career led me tosome very unsavory places, you
know, day to day, or week toweek, and I developed some
skills of how to deal with folksin those situations.
But, like we said earlier, youknow, everybody has a skill,
everybody has a talent.
We know that from scripture andwe also know that we have

(18:15):
opportunities that are placedbefore us.
I think the real hurdle isgetting over the fear of where
it might lead us in our givingor our resources or our time or
our heart.
Getting over that is, I think,the real challenge.
It kind of makes us laugh now isthat when we look back on our

(18:44):
lives, we have opened ourselvesup to scary opportunities at
times and God has been faithfulto take care of us, provide for
us and lead us into ever moreamazing adventures and
opportunities and opportunitiesfor service.
But you know what, ron?
We worry about what he's goingto be able to do next week.

(19:06):
He's taking care of us, butmaybe he's not up to next week.
God is faithful.
He may not lead us where wewant to go, but he's going to
lead us where we need to be.

Speaker 2 (19:18):
Do you have a website ?
Can we check out some of theamazing photography you've done
over your years at the times?

Speaker 1 (19:25):
oh yeah, tedjacksonphotocom
tedjacksonphotocom and there arelinks to the book where you can
find the book.
There's all photos, that aportfolio of photos.
There's stories that I'vewritten and been a part of as a
series.
My specialty at the time, spickand Young, was working on
long-term projects, and sothere's a lot of those that are

(19:48):
linked there.
It's a good place to go to kindof see everything, and I built
it to inspire people.
I really love people being ableto read these stories and see
the presence of God in thepeople that I've written and
talked about and photographedover the years.

Speaker 2 (20:06):
Tedjacksonphotocom.

Speaker 1 (20:07):
Yes, one more time, the title of that book you ought
to do a story about me and it'savailable anywhere you can get
Amazon.
A lot of bookstores have it.
It's in paperback and hardback.
It takes you to a lot ofdifferent places homelessness,
crack addiction inside the NFL,inside drug dealings, inside CTE

(20:29):
, inside relationships and loveand friendship.

Speaker 2 (20:32):
I always ask all my guests is the title of the show
is Get the Hell Out of your Life.
So, ted, how do you get thehell out of your life?

Speaker 1 (20:41):
One thing is priority to me prayer, prayer is the
major thing.
We're such humans are soforgetful.
We have an incredible day, oneday and an amazing opportunity
and, like a week later, youthink back on that day and we
often say, well, yeah, that wasa good day.
But if you're praying andyou're devoting yourself,

(21:02):
setting aside time every day,focus on the blessings of God
and to seek his counsel and topray for his presence that's key
.
Amen, his presence in your lifeThen that rains your day in a
very powerful way and starts youoff right.
And the next day you do itagain.

(21:23):
And the amazing thing for me, Igot to tell you is keeping a
prayer journal where I writethese thoughts and feelings and
opportunities and responses fromGod.
And you look back over thatover the weeks or months or even
years, and you're absolutely ittakes care of your memory
problem.
You see the blessings, you seethe growth, you see the changes

(21:47):
and you see the power of God'spresence in your life.