08/28/2026
I normally don’t feel the need to explain myself to people who would rather talk about me than talk to me, but there comes a point where I’m comfortable putting the truth out there and leaving it at that.
I’ve made mistakes in my life. I’ve been in trouble. I’m not going to pretend otherwise, hide from it, or rewrite my past to make myself look better.
When my brother passed away, I went to a very dark place. I lost myself for a while and made choices that I’m not proud of. Those choices had consequences, and I had to live with them, learn from them, and decide what kind of man I wanted to be moving forward.
That man is not who I am today.
For the last 2½ years, I’ve stayed away from hard drugs and worked hard to build a life that actually means something to me. I’m a proud father. I’ve been beside the same woman for 10 years. I work hard, take care of my family, support my community, and have been fortunate enough to work with several animal rescues and help raise and donate more than $17,000 to charitable causes over the last two years.
I don’t say any of that because I think good deeds erase bad decisions. They don’t. I say it because people are allowed to change, and the life someone chooses to live today should matter more than the worst chapter of their past.
I know exactly where I’ve been. I also know exactly how far I’ve come.
Anyone who wants to judge me based on years-old mistakes is free to do that. I’m not going backward to argue with people about a version of myself I already left behind.
My responsibility is to my family, the people who count on me, my community, and continuing to become a better man than I was yesterday.
That’s where my energy is going.
