Soon after Arkansas' Dre Greenlaw was selected in the fifth round of the NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday, a father...
Soon after Arkansas' Dre Greenlaw was selected in the fifth round of the NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday, a father of a woman who attended college with the linebacker took to social media to share a dramatic story. A man named Gerry Dales detailed an account wherein Greenlaw “risked everything” to intervene and save his daughter from potential rape at a college party the football star was not supposed to be attending.
In a serious of tweets, Dales explained that a man drugged his daughter when she was a freshman at Arkansas, but before he could take off with her, he was stopped by Greenlaw.
“Dre Greenlaw was drafted in the 5th round by the SF 49ers. I want to tell you a little story about him,” started Dales. “My daughter went to a college party when she was freshman. She knew very few people at the party, and also didn't have a ton of experience drinking. Someone slipped something into her drink when she wasn't paying attention.”
My daughter went to a college party when she was freshman. She knew very few people at the party, and also didn't have a ton of experience drinking.
Someone slipped something into her drink when she wasn't paying attention.
Greenlaw, like Dales’ daughter, was a freshman, and the two knew one another from high school, he explained.
“And he did *not* know the guy who was all over her,” Dales said. “And when that guy tried to steer my daughter out the front door, he stopped the guy and said ‘she's not going anywhere.’”
Dre was also a freshman. And he knew my daughter from high school. And he did *not* know the guy who was all over her.
And when that guy tried to steer my daughter out the front door, he stopped the guy and said "she's not going anywhere."
The father noted that Greenlaw was in a tenuous position due to him being a student-athlete. “He was a starter on the Razorbacks,” Dales explained. “His place was not secure. He was underage and at a kegger. 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.”
“And he risked it for my daughter. 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,” he added.
He was a starter on the Razorbacks. His place was not secure. He was underage and at a kegger. 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.
And he risked it for my daughter. 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 said that he never told the story before because he didn’t want to risk any trouble for Greenlaw.
“But he had my daughter's back,” he wrote, “and for that I will always owe him."
Dales ended his tweet-series by asking folks to "root for Dre" and offering a “congratulations, and thank you.”
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.
So, @DreGreenlaw - congratulations, and thank you.
Greenlaw did not respond to the story blowing up online until Monday in a simple tweet.
“Ok everybody was tweeting about this story and didn’t want to respond because I wasn’t sure what they were talking about,” he said. But then he got a call from Dales’ daughter, apparently. “I instantly remembered she was my high school friend and I was just looking out for her,” the football player wrote.
Twitter users were quick to again offer praise to Greenlaw for being so humble with regard to his important actions. “What a humble man of principle says. Maybe the future's not so dim,” remarked New York-based radio host Bob Lonsberry. “What's crazy is that he didn't even remember. Like he doesn't reminisce about saving his friend from getting raped. He just did the right thing and kept it pushin',” applaudedanother Twitter user. One comment simply stated: “One word: Hero.”
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