- Being a child watchingcollege football games

on Saturdays, those stadiumswere like cathedrals

and the players were likegods when you're a kid.

And I told my dad one time, "Hey, dad,

"one day I'll be there."

And he would always tellme, "Damon, I believe ya."

- [Narrator] Damon West always dreamed

of becoming a professionalfootball player.

- I thought, hey, oneday I'll be in the NFL.

I'll play quarterback, butit didn't work out that way.

- [Narrator] Damon attendedthe Catholic church

and was even an altar boy,but his conception of God

was more utilitarian than personal.

- My view of God back then was the view

that my family gave me.

God was the source of everything.

God is the center of the universe.

God is the center of our world.

- [Narrator] When he was just10, he began being abused

by an older female babysitter.

- It's like entering intoa world of adult behaviors

that a kid should never be in.

It kind of robs you ofsomething in childhood,

of an innocence.

By the time I was 10 I started drinking.

By the time I was 12 I washaving sex on a regular basis.

At his high school in Port Arthur, Texas,

Damon become the star quarterback.

His father's friendship withCowboys' coach Jimmy Johnson

offered him a chance to seethe world of pro sports.

- Whenever I'm in high school,

Jimmy's coaching the Dallas Cowboys,

and I got to bring two receivers with me

to their training camp,

which we're out there with Michael Irvin,

and Troy Aikman, and SteveBeuerlein, and those guys.

We're running around and throwing passes

as those guys are gettingdone with practice.

What high school kid getsto do that, you know?

- [Narrator] He was recruitedby a number of colleges,

but chose nearby North Texas.

But his career wouldn't last long.

- September 21, 1996 against Texas A&M,

and I call that day in mylife a big fork in the road.

- [Announcer] They got ashotgun for Damon West,

a running back all read off to his left.

Here's the snap.

He drops back to about the 32, throws--

- And so I separated my shoulder.

And then when I gothealthy again in the spring

and got back in the rotation,

there was an accidentthat I had in the home

where I severed my Achillestendon in half, and that was it.

That was the end of the career.

That was a game-changer there.

My life was wrapped up, myexistence was wrapped up,

in playing football.

And once that was gone, I was mad at God.

I was mad at the world.

I was mad at everybody.

- [Narrator] His doctorprescribed painkillers,

which added to the list ofsubstances he was abusing.

- The painkillers, I abused those too.

And now I'm put in the cocaine,the ecstasy, the pills.

I'm doing all the hardcore stuff now.

I would abuse anything.

It was in front of me, I would abuse.

- [Narrator] After collegeDamon worked as a broker

on Wall Street and in politics.

But the drug use finallycaught up with him.

- That's where I ran into the one vice

that would be the endof me, methamphetamine.

It took me no time tolose my job, my apartment,

my car, my savings account, my sanity.

I went from working onWall Street to living

on the streets of Dallas.

Eventually I ended upin other meth houses,

other meth dens, with other meth addicts.

- [Narrator] He also beganstealing to support his habit.

- We started breaking into homes.

And I took a lot of their property.

I stole, with a burglary crew, we stole

over a million dollarsworth of people's property.

- [Narrator] Eventually, he was arrested.

- July 30, 2008, it's aday I'll never forget.

I'm sitting around in thislittle rundown apartment

in Dallas, and I'm smokingmeth with my meth dealer

on the couch.

Bam, this flash banggrenade goes off in my face,

bright white light, loud noise.

And when I can and hearagain, I've got this cop,

full SWAT riot gear, man,he's got his boot on my chest.

And this cop is screaming atme, "Don't move, don't move!"

Heard one of 'em scream out, "We got him,

"we got the Uptown Burglar."

- [Narrator] When his timecame for his sentence,

the jury showed no mercy.

- When the jury cameback and said 65 years,

I mean, it took my breath away.

I remember when the sentence was read,

I heard my mother gasp from the front row,

the sound only a mother could make

when she hears her son geta life sentence in prison.

- [Narrator] Before Damon went to prison

a friend shared someadvice to help him survive.

- He says, "Look, here'swhat prison's gonna be like.

"Imagine prison's like a potof boiling water," he said,

"and you've got three things you could be

"in a pot of boiling water."

He said, "We would put a carrot,an egg, and a coffee bean."

He said, "The carrot goesin there and turns soft.

"The egg goes in there, turns hard.

"Neither one of those aregood options for you."

He said, "So if you wannabe something in prison,

"be the coffee bean.

"Change the environment around you

"no matter how hot it is."

- [Narrator] Damon thengot a call from his mother.

- I told him, "You're a captive audience,

"and you need to get on God's back

"and let him carry you through."

I reminded him of thefootprints in the sand.

God was walking downthe beach with someone

and the man was looking back and saw,

at times, saw two sets of prints

and other times just one set.

And he asked God, "Why isthere just one set of prints?

"Did you desert me?"

And he said, "No."

He said, "I carried you."

And that's what I told Damon.

Get on God's back and let him carry you.

- Finally, when I gotalone and I could cry,

which you can't cry infront of anybody in there.

And I'm sitting there,and I'm a little confused,

'cause I'm into my Bible.

I'm praying to God.

But I hadn't learned how to pray.

And I cried, and I justprayed, "Jesus, please,

"I can't do this alone.

"I can't do this anymore."

I remember being brokendown, about as broken down

as I've ever been.

And that's when I finallyasked Jesus to take over.

- [Narrator] Damon refused tojoin any of the prison gangs.

Instead, he began attending Bible studies

and seeking out mentors.

- I'm not into a gang,and that's what they do.

I mean, they isolate you.

They send the other groups after you,

because they want youto come into their fold,

or the white prison gangs, you know?

But I couldn't do that, man.

I made a promise to Jesus.

I made a promise to my momand dad that I would come home

as the man they raised.

- [Narrator] He also entereda recovery program in prison.

- I got taken in sobriety at gunpoint.

I tell people that all the time.

Because I'm clean, I'm sober,I have a program of recovery,

and I'm still lettingJesus drive that car.

- [Narrator] After serving just 11 years

of his 65-year sentence he was paroled.

- Total God thing that I made parole.

I was blown away with the gracethat Jesus bestowed on me.

Jesus had a plan the whole time.

I remember turning back to look around,

'cause something told me toturn back and look around.

And it's this voice inside your head

saying, "I want you toremember what this looks like.

"You're going to work for me now.

"And if you ever stop workingfor me, you'll be back.

"Don't come back."

- [Narrator] Damon is now married

and speaks all over the US.

He also has authored two books.

- My purpose now in life isto go out to be an example

to others of what not to do.

But the other part of my lifeis to be that message of hope,

that message of hope of what Jesus's grace

and Jesus's love can do for someone.

I was a drug addict, and athief, and a liar, and a cheat,

and everything else youcan think of that's bad.

And he turned all that around

into a person that's useful again.

And people love a good redemption story,

a person that goes out andcan be the change agent,

a person that goes out andcan be that coffee bean

and turn whatever potof boiling water he's in

into a pot of coffee.

And it's a testament to what he can do.