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When the Atlanta Falcons selected Pittsburgh running back Qadree Ollison in the fifth round, it once again put the spotlight on one of the darker moments in Ollison's life.
In 2017, on a Saturday when Ollison was playing in a game at Pitt, his brother Lerowne Harris was shot and killed. The killer was Denzel Lewis, a former classmate whom Ollison had considered a friend when they were children.
Lewis pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years in prison, and at the sentencing, Ollison did a surprising thing: He read a statement telling Lewis he forgave him.
“I have this choice to hate you or not,” Ollison said at the sentencing. “I choose not to. I don’t hate you, Denzel.”
Ollison told ESPN that he still hopes Lewis can make something of his life.
“I really would tell him to try and get rid of whatever demons he has inside of him, try to find God,” Qadree said. “If you don’t want to believe in God, you want to believe in something. Try to find whatever it is that would bring peace to him and help him. It’s a lot deeper. If the point of prison is to rehabilitate, then let it do that. Come out 20, 25 years from now and be a different person if you get another chance.”
What type of player Ollison will be on the field is still yet to be determined, but its safe to say he is one we can all root for.
