May 3, 2009 8:34 am US/Eastern
Former NFL Linebacker Shares Horrible Secret
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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He carried a painful secret for decades, all through his NFL career.
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He carried a painful secret for decades, all through his NFL career.
In an exclusive report,
Mary Bubala shares the inspiring story of Al Chesley, a Maryland man speaking out for victims of child sex abuse who cannot speak for themselves.
On the field, he was the epitome of toughness. But no one knew Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Al Chesley had a deep, dark secret.
"I couldn't tell anyone about it," he said. "I knew I was as sick as my secret."
It was a secret so powerful, it made the strong Maryland man crumble when he finally revealed it.
"I was not able to talk about it when my mom and dad were alive. My dad was a police officer, so I couldn't tell him what one of his friends did. I am so sorry," Chesley said.
At 13, Chesley says he was sexually abused by a Washington, D.C. police officer.
"He had a badge, he had a gun. He asked me to take a ride with him before, but I turned him down. [This time] I was tired and took the ride. He locked the doors. He bolted the doors. I had no way out. I was raped," he said.
Thirty-seven years after the terrifying day an officer locked him in a room and sexually abused him, Chesley finally found a way out--by speaking out.
"I think it could be used to help some young people not go through what I went through," he said.
His crusade to spare children the abuse he suffered brought him to Annapolis, where he testified in favor of giving victims more time to come forward and press charges.
"For so many years, I thought I did something wrong," Chesley said.
Right now, Maryland law gives victims of child sex abuse until they're 25 to take civil action against their abusers, but Chesley says finding the strength to speak up can take decades.
"It was just a relief when somebody finally told me that I didn't do anything wrong. At 13, you were just a kid," he said.
It wasn't until just last year, at age 50, Al was able to talk about the abuse.
Studies show people who were sexually abused as children typically don't come forward until they are in their 40s and 50s, a time so many of us reflect on our lives and deal with unresolved issues.
Al Chesley, a man who once faced some of the toughest opponents on the field, is facing his past and now his future, one that includes tackling Maryland law.
"I know that it will pass one day because they will wake up. If you don't protect the kids, then what are you there for?" he asked.
He says he will not go after the officer who abused him.
"Being around positive people and knowing you have to heal. You have to forgive to be free. I am going to continue to walk that path and stay on that journey," he said. "I don't know all the answers but I know the answer--if just for me--is not to be quiet."
A bill to allow more time for victims of child sex abuse to press charges died in committee last session. Advocates like Al Chesley vow to keep fighting until Maryland children are legally protected.
For more information about the bill, click
here. Click
here to learn more about help for child victims and
here to learn about the statute of limitations.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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