Why is C.J. Stroud’s dad in prison? How long was he sentenced for and what did he do?

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud made waves in his first season in NFL, finishing with 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. But he also made headlines for his activities off the field of play - particularly for his advocacy for prison reform.

It is a theme that is close to Stroud’s heart. When he was just 13 years old, his father, Coleridge Bernard Stroud III, pleaded guilty to charges of carjacking, kidnapping, robbery, evading an officer with reckless driving and misdemeanor sexual battery. As he was a repeat offender, Stroud’s father was sentenced to 38 years in prison.

The details of the case are a little more complicated than the charge sheet would at first appear, however.

Stroud senior was a former pastor and together with his wife Kimberly created a strong Christian influence in their home. As pastor of Life Application Christian Center in Rancho Cucamonga, California, Coleridge would even involve the young CJ in his sermons, asking the boy to speak to the congregation regularly.

After a bout of drug addiction in his youth, Coleridge had been clean for over 20 years, turning his life over to his ministry, dedicating himself and his family to community service. When Kimberly filed for divorce in 2012, Coleridge fell off the wagon. He began using drugs again and his life, in his own words, “spun out of control.”

One April night in 2015, under the influence of drugs, the elder Stroud hopped into the car of a woman at a traffic light, demanding that she drive to a location where he could purchase drugs.

After a brief struggle, the woman was able to escape, but she alleged that in the melée, Stroud had groped her. She reported the car stolen and a short while later, Stroud and the car were spotted by a patrol unit. San Diego Harbor police gave chase and when Stroud crashed the car into a pole, he decided to hop into San Diego Bay.

At trial, Stroud pled guilty to all charges and was sentenced to 38 years in prison. He had two previous drug and robbery convictions from the early 1990′s and under the three strike rule, he was dealt a sentence close to the maximum. He will become eligible for parole when he is 74 years old.

CJ Stroud is advocating for prison reform

CJ spent a lot of years angry at his father, but is more sanguine now. “People slip up. People make mistakes. As I’m getting older, I’m realizing how tough it is to be a man. Not only a man, but a Black man in our communities.”

After his father went away, the raising of the four children fell to Stroud’s mother, Kimberly. Struggling in extreme poverty, the family hovered on the brink of homelessness for years. But as CJ grew, he has come to terms with the circumstances in his life.

“I think I thrive now at this age, just understanding that doing the right thing is the right way and letting God lead your life is the best way. That’s what I learned from my father. When I talk to him now, I don’t hold any ill will. I told him, ‘I love you.’ He made his mistakes. I’ve made mine. It’s not about the bad.”

There is some hope for CJ that his father could be released early, since the length of his sentence is tied to the three strikes law. With the second conviction on his record a non-violent offense, Coleridge has hired an attorney who has filed a motion to have it dismissed from the sentencing guide.