Former Texas Tech footballer Dakota Allen penned a terrific piece for The Players’ Tribune where he talked about his first time at Texas Tech, his time at East Mississippi Community College and back at Texas Tech. I really encourage you to go read the whole thing:

If you don’t know me, I can understand why you might let that one mistake cloud your opinion of me. But I’m writing this to express to you that I’m so much more than that one mistake, and I think anyone you speak to who is involved in my life will say the same thing.

I’ve spent the last three years doing everything in my power to make up for one night when I did a really dumb and destructive thing. It took a long time to get some people in my life to forgive me. And it took even longer for me to forgive myself.

But today, I’m a person who is really excited about what the future holds. I’ve faced challenges that have tested me in ways I couldn’t have imagined, and because of that I’m not the same person I was back then.

I’m so much stronger. I’m so much smarter. I’m so much better.

And I want to tell you why.