Have you ever witnessed someone’s life and asked yourself, “why him”? Well, I have, and I will tell you about mine right here today. My “why him” story is about Travis Rudolph, a former Florida State wider receiver standout, that’s now fighting for his freedom all for protecting his home.
To quickly explain, I’ve known Travis, his sister Terrenie, and his brother DJ all of their lives and their mom has known me all of mine. Our parents were raised together, so we have lived our lives calling each other’s parents Auntie and Uncle and each other cousin. Our families have participated in every major life event together, whether it be good or bad. Their mom, my auntie Linda is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, there has never been a time when I’ve needed support in an area where she has not offered assistance, and she raised her kids to be the same people.
Travis with his mom Linda Rudolph…
All three siblings have attended some form of college in search of higher education, all three siblings are respectful & have manners when dealing with others, and all three siblings have managed to stay out of trouble and are humble. This is what you’d expect from children raised in a household with parents that showed them love and taught them discipline.
Travis Rudolph’s older brother DJ performing his song “Knuckles in The Dirt”, about the importance of growing your own food, at Palm Beach State College on Earth Day…
Travis’s father was very involved with his football career, I know this to be a fact because he and his father would normally invite my father along for the trips. Something I greatly appreciate them doing, something that proves how humble of a person he is by keeping those he knew around him. Travis’s first time popping up in the news outside of football was not criminally based, it was the complete opposite. Travis while visiting a local school decided to forgo sitting at the table with his team and sat with a kid eating lunch by himself.
This leads me to the “why him” part of the story…
So why my cousin Travis? For those that believe in Gods or “Karma”, could you ask them to explain themselves in this situation? In 2017, when he decided to enter the draft, his father was taken away from him in a senseless act of violence. The circumstances of his father’s death is still disputed to this day by the entire family, it’s something that they feel they never fully received Justice for.
After signing with the New York Giants and then the Miami Dolphins, injuries ultimately sidelined his NFL career. Travis found himself rehabbing his injuries, making a roster in the XFL on the rock’s team. This is when he would find himself in trouble with the law in a manner he has never dreamed of.
Travis was dating a young lady that he had a verbal dispute with earlier in the day and the young lady attacked him with a bottle, in his home. After getting the young lady to leave, she called some guys that she knew over to harm Travis. They showed up at his house, they got into an altercation with Travis and his brother DJ. When some of the guys that showed up started brandishing guns, Travis was forced to protect himself and his family.
This happened in April 2021, and a year later my cousin is still in jail waiting to be told he did nothing wrong. While in jail, his sister lost her oldest child, her son Adrian. His sister has always been his biggest supporter and was at every accomplishment in his life, but when she needed him the most, he was not able to be there to support her through her terrible crisis. He lost a nephew that was following in his footsteps with his love for football.
Travis Rudolph, pictured with his sister Terrenie and her son Adrian Moncrieffe Jr., Travis’s nephew that passed away in November 2021 after a tragic car accident…
As I write this, he is currently awaiting a decision on whether his protecting his home and family falls under the stand your ground statute. That should be a no-brainer, YES, if George Zimmerman was able to get off on the stand your ground defense. Travis Rudolph should be FREE and anyone that is saying otherwise has to have ulterior motives, or they’ve been lied to.
In conclusion, I know my cousin being raised to be the man he is that he would hate to be portrayed as a victim, or as a person helpless to the situation, so I’ll ask for you to do this not for him but for his family. #FREETravisRudolph and show America an actual circumstance where “Standing your ground” holds weight and that protecting your home is a value that we still respect…
