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CJ Stroud had a Sunday to remember as he led his Houston Texans to a come-from-behind win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the final seconds of the contest. The signal caller set the NFL rookie record for most passing yards in a single game with 470 yards, but his performance wasn’t the only thing he wanted to talk about after his official coming out party.
In what quickly presented itself as a full-circle moment for Stroud as he realized what an all-time performance he just put together, Stroud’s mind went to his father during his postgame press conference.
READ: GOD-FIRST C.J. STROUD PLAYING AS IF HE’S A GIFT FROM HEAVEN FOR HOUSTON TEXANS
Stroud’s dad, Coleridge Bernard Stroud III, has been in prison since the young QB was in middle school and remains incarcerated after receiving 38 years to life after pleading guilty to carjacking, kidnapping, and robbery charges during a drug-related incident in 2016.
The Ohio State product has leaned on his Christian faith and the support system he’s built around him to get to where he is today, but made it clear he hopes one day his father will be able to watch him play in person.
This led Stroud to talk about the criminal justice system in the U.S. being corrupt.
“Our criminal justice system isn’t right, and it’s something that I need to probably be a little more vocal about, because what he’s going through is not right,” Stroud said. “He called me this week, and we got to talk, and I’m praying for the situation and a reform, and the people with reform are helping me a little bit.”
“But, I think just letting it be known that it’s not just my dad’s situation, but the whole criminal justice system is corrupt.”
While Stroud believes reform needs to take place in the criminal system, he made the point that criminals need to serve their time while conditions in prisons need to be improved at the same time.
“Some of the prisons there have rats, roaches and things like that,” Stroud said. “Don’t get me wrong — criminals, they should do their time, but they’re still humans, know what I mean? I just want to shine a light on that really quick.”
Stroud and the Texans head to Cincinnati on Sunday to take on Joe Burrow and the Bengals in what should be quite the quarterback showdown.
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