MSU RUINED Innocent Keith Mumphery’s life. He’s Training to Recover What it Stole From Him.

The story of how Houston Texans wide receiver Keith Mumphery was ousted from his job upon an old story being dredged up, and the story itself being a classic example of the failure of due process on multiple levels, was bad. Very bad… Quick reminder: MSU initially cleared Mumphery of sexual misconduct allegations by a hookup who claimed to be too drunk to consent. Mumphery said she freaked out when he tried to put on a condom, and that he left out of fear that this white stranger would call the police on a big, bad, black man. MSU reopened the investigation after she appealed – because kangaroo courts are fine with double jeopardy. Mumphery was a graduate student at MSU when this happened and had been drafted by the Houston Texans, making him pretty easy to track down. The taxpayer-funded star chamber convicted him without ever talking to him or collecting new evidence. The Texans dumped him and MSU threatened to arrest him if he came back to campus.  Mumphery went back to Georgia to live in a trailer with his mother after Michigan State violated the most basic requirements of justice in order to destroy him. He didn’t let it get him down: Back in his hometown, a place with a single traffic light, he strapped himself to an iron sled and ran pulling it through the streets, cheered on by neighbors.

Fast forward two years later, Michigan State has finally admitted it was wrong and Keith hopes to relaunch his NFL career now that the legal episode is behind him. The university agreed to a settlement in May that gives him an undisclosed sum and – more importantly – wipes clean his record, which could allow him to resume a pro career. Michigan State offered him not a whisper of apology. “I felt like they owed me an apology, but I can’t dwell on that,” Mumphery said recently. “I have a life I want to live. I want to get back to football, and there is no time to waste.”

By settling, Mumphery accomplished two things. He cleared his name and received some degree of monetary damages. But like most settlements, it fell short of adequacy, not because the case couldn’t be pursued through trial to obtain a jury verdict for damages in a fuller amount, but because Mumphery wanted to return to the gridiron and play football. Keith’s attorney Andrew Miltenberg said  “They were testing us, and Keith left a lot of money on the table, but I’ve never seen a young man so determined to prove his innocence and live a life of character. “If I had forgotten about football to pursue more money, it would have eaten at me for the rest of my life.” Keith Mumphery remarked.

Keith grew up in a small town with one stoplight, a few gas stations and a Piggly Wiggly. When his mother ran short of cash and the utility shut off the water, he and his siblings filled buckets at a gas station and teetered home. Had Keith pursued his lawsuit against Michigan State, he might well have reaped a larger financial settlement. But trials have a long gestation, and a third year away from football would have placed his dreams beyond reach. Mumphery said he has exercised patience and continued to work diligently as he seeks another shot at the NFL. “We didn’t have much. For me to live my dream and for me to come from where I come from, I’ve been blessed tremendously. It’s been a trying time. I wouldn’t wish it on nobody. I credit God for seeing me through it all.” Mumphery thanked his lawyer, his agent, his mother, his girlfriend and his grandmother for sticking by him. “They are all tremendous people,” Mumphery said. “They really believed in me and encouraged me. They’ve inspired me. Where I’m from, there aren’t a whole lot of role models. It’s hard to dream where I come from… I had a decision to make: to be mad or to continue my dream. My dream was to go forward and be who God created me to be.”

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