It took a village to change the life of Gophers running back Shannon Brooks

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As a child, Shannon said, the brothers and their mother, Sharon, moved from apartment to apartment around the Atlanta suburb of Austell. Struggling to make ends meet, Shannon recalled his mother going into a grocery store to steal food for the boys.

Sharon Brooks had run-ins with the law, with two separate charges for shoplifting in 2001 and possession of a controlled substance in 2010, according to a Cobb County Superior Court representative. The man Shannon said is his father, Andrew Antonio Evans, has a list of 12 charges, mostly for similar offenses, from 1994-2016, the court said.

“He was in prison most of my life,” Shannon said. “I’ve probably seen him 15 times.”

In elementary school, Shannon and Kalyn got into fights with other students and were disobedient to teachers. At home, they did whatever they wanted.

“Then the other, bigger thing was our surroundings,” Brooks said. “Drugs and violence at home, family fights and things like that. That is why they wanted us to move out of the area and go up north.”

In the sixth grade, Shannon and Kalyn moved to Jasper, a small town 60 miles north of Atlanta. After a stint with one of Sharon’s friends, the boys moved in with Natasha Green after Shannon befriended classmate Deondre, one of her four sons. With the Greens, the boys continued moving from place to place, sometimes sleeping on the floor.

Shannon and Kalyn met Weeks after enrolling in the seventh grade at Jasper Middle School. After Shannon joined Weeks’ science class, she began picking up details on his rocky upbringing and befriended the family, including the boys’ grandparents.

A year later, Sharon Brooks was headed back to jail — this time in Jasper’s Pickens County — and Weeks offered to help. “I just had built enough of a relationship with all of them,” she said. “I just stepped in and said if they need a place to go that is a little bit more stable and a little bit more permanent, they can come with me.”

Shannon Brooks reflected on that critical offer after practice this week as the Gophers prepared for Saturday’s game against Middle Tennessee State. Weeks plans to be among the crowd at TCF Bank Stadium.

“(My mom) played a huge part in just letting Melissa take us in,” Shannon said. “I really respect her for letting me and my brother to go to Melissa, who she hadn’t even met yet because she was in jail. It was one of those things that you’ve just got to trust it.”

http://www.twincities.com/2017/09/1...ng-back-shannon-brooks-and-his-brother-kalyn/

Go Gophers!!
 

Jerry had a saying about how for some players the team is the first time they've had a family.

I can't imagine how any kid survives all that and makes it through ok.
 

Wow. Kids should not have to grow up like that. Thank you to all who helped Shannon and his brother. There are way too many stories like this, but thank goodness some kids get lucky and someone steps up to help.
 

Hold your head high, Shannon. We are proud to have you in the family!
 



Players like Shannon and Cedric Thompson are inspirational overcoming adversity. Gopher Football changed the trajectory of a lot of lives.
 

Absolutely an inspirational story. Not hard to understand why he runs with such intensity -- and why I've loved him since game 1. Takes a lot of character to rise up out of circumstances like that, but also some luck. Not every kid makes it...and can you blame them? The world is a pretty messed up place sometimes.
 

Even more reason to like Shannon! Also, way to step in and help out by Ms Weeks.
 

I get cynical about college sports because of all the abuses, and then a story like this comes along. A favorite player before I read this and now even more so.
 



Glad to hear Shannon getting out of that rut. Unfortunately way too many stories like that. Some make it and some don't. Until we figure out how to deal with it, crime/drugs etc. is going to continue to rise.
 

For some reason the dust level in the room just went way up. Great story.


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Absolutely an inspirational story. Not hard to understand why he runs with such intensity -- and why I've loved him since game 1. Takes a lot of character to rise up out of circumstances like that, but also some luck. Not every kid makes it...and can you blame them? The world is a pretty messed up place sometimes.

That it does.
 

Shannon is lucky to have talent to elevate himself, we're lucky he stayed on right path and is helping program. Wish him best
 



Shannon is lucky to have talent to elevate himself, we're lucky he stayed on right path and is helping program. Wish him best

Yep. Lots of kids who are 'normal' never get the opportunities like a full scholarship to take advantage of
 

Glad Shannon was given a chance. This will not be a popular statement, but credit to his Mother for having the wisdom and ability to let her two boy's go, and get out of that not-settled crazy environment and chaos they were in.
She gave them a chance by letting them go to a better place and congratulations to Ms Weeks for giving this two guys a chance to grow up and become men with a chance to have a better life.
 

I've had a feeling since that run his freshman year against Purdue that he's going to be something special. I bet he doesn't get drafted and finds a way to make a NFL impact anyway after his days here. He's my favorite Gopher in awhile to watch play.
 

It's amazing kids can escape that and make something of their lives because everything is stacked against them, unfortunately it usually doesn't turn out like that. I have said it many times sometimes you almost seems like you should have a license to have a kid, they are completely innocent coming into this world yet...sigh
 

After spending four days in the Atlanta area recently courtesy of Hurricane Irma, this story doesn't surprise me. People have a genuine concern for others in need. My wife and I had at least five people ask us if we needed help with things like a place to stay, shower, and even offered money while we were parked at a Walmart. There aren't many parts of the country that would show that type of concern for complete strangers.
 




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