Arkansas linebacker Dre Greenlaw became a local hero when the 49ers selected him with a fifth-round draft pick. While this athletic prowess makes him a role model for some with the same aspiration, one father decided to reveal a story from Greenlaw's past.
After Greenlaw's name was called, Gerry Dales took to Twitter and recounted how the athlete looked out for his daughter.
Years prior, when he had just begun his scholastic career at Arkansas, Greenlaw was a young starter on an SEC football team. While at a party, Greenlaw noticed a classmate from high school was being accosted by a man whom he did not recognize. It became clear to Greenlaw that his friend was either too inebriated to leave with the man or was drugged. Either way, he stepped in.
"My daughter went to a college party when she was [a] freshman. She knew very few people at the party, and also didn't have a ton of experience drinking," Dales tweeted. "Someone slipped something into her drink when she wasn't paying attention... [Greenlaw] knew my daughter from high school. And he did *not* know the guy who was all over her."
"When that guy tried to steer my daughter out the front door, he stopped the guy and said 'she's not going anywhere,'" Dales continued. "The guy backed down, and no one saw him again. No one at the party seemed to know who he was, and my daughter and her friends never saw him again."
Dales also provided some background to his followers.
"He was a starter on the Razorbacks. His place was not secure. He was underage and at a kegger," he explained. "He wasn't drinking, but if there was a fight he was risking getting thrown off the team. In some ways, he was risking everything... I didn't ever tell this story, because maybe someone would say 'oh, he shouldn't have been at that party.' Maybe not. But he had my daughter's back, and for that I will always owe him. So, do me a favor. Root for Dre. He's a good kid with a good heart."
