SO
SO ON
SO ON MONDAY AT THE LEGENDS GOLF COURSE, JIM HART HELD HIS ANNUAL CHARITY 4@GOLF
TOURNEMENT.. AND MANY
:SO,
:SO, ON
:SO, ON MONDAY AT THE LEGENDS GOLF COURSE, JIM HART HELD HIS
ANNUAL CHARITY4@ GOLF TOURNAMEN
MEMBER MANY FORMER GREATS WERE
ON HAND.4@ 4@
THEY HAVE ALL THE PRETTY GOOD
LIFE AFTER RETIREMENT.
LOUIS SHARP HASN'T.
INSTEAD OF GOING TO THE HALL OF
FAME HE 4@WENT TO PRISON.
WITH THE HELP OF EDITOR BILL
BENNETT, WE GIVE YOU THE STORY
OF THIS FORMER ST. LOUIS
CARDINAL.
CARDINAL.
CARDINAL. >> Reporter: VERY FEW HAVE HAD
58 YEARS ON THIS EARTH LIKE
LOUISE ERNESTO SHARP.
A LOT OF FAME, 4@SOME FORTUNE,
AND QUITE A BIT OF FAILURE.
BUT, NOW IT IS ABOUT REDEMPTION@
>> 4@WINNERS NEVER QUIT, AND
QUITTERS NEVER WIN.
THAT'S MY MANTRA.4@4@
>> IT'S A SAD STORY. 4@
A LESSON FOR ALL OF US IS THAT
NO MATTER HOW HIGH YOU 4@CAN GE
YOU CAN ALWAYS FALL.
IT'S UP TO YOU TO PICK YOURSELF
UP.
UP.
UP. >>
UP. >> Reporter: LOUIS SHARP WAS A
HIGH SCHOOL ALL-AMERICAN IN
DETROIT.
DETROIT.
DETROIT. AT UCLA HE WAS AN ATHLETIC
OFFENSIVE TACKLE, WHO AT 6'5"
280 POUND --.
HE GAVE A SHARP FOCUS4@ TO A ST
LOUIS CARDINALS OFFENSIVE LINE
AS SOON AS HE 4@ARRIVED IS A
FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICK.
HE WAS THE 4@ONE OPENING UP HOL
FOR OJ 4@ANDERSON.4@
AND NUMBER 67 LIKE TO CELEBRATE
IN THE END ZONE.
>> TOUCHDOWN? 4@
OJ ANDERSON.
OJ ANDERSON. >> Reporter:4@ JIM WAS HIS COAC
THEN AND HIS CLOSE FRIEND NOW.
>> HE'S GOT GREAT MOBILITY.
HE'S INTELLIGENT.4@4@
HE'S INTELLIGENT.4@4@ IT'S GOING TO 4@BE A FUN THING
HAVE THIS GUY.
>> Reporter: NOT FOR 4@THE
OPPOSITION.
OPPOSITION. NUMBER 67 PUNISHED PEOPLE.
HE STARTED 189 GAMES IN THE NFL
AND WENT TO THREE STRAIGHT
ROBLES.
ROBLES.
ROBLES. >> UNBELIEVABLE.
>> UNBELIEVABLE. HE JUST EXUDES CONFIDENCE.
I LOVE PLAYING BEHIND LEWIS.
>> Reporter: RIGHT IN THE
MIDDLE OF SHARP4@ GRIPPING THE
LINEMAN, A DRUG 4@WAS GRABBING
HOLD OF HIS BODY. 4@
>> NOT VERY SMART.
I FIGURED THAT A YOUNG BLACK
GUY, AFRICAN-AMERICAN ATHLETE,
COMING FROM THE INNER CITY OF
DETROI4@T4@ AND REACHING THE ST
AND THE SUCCESS OF A NUMBER ONE
DRAFT PICK, 4@AND MAKING THE KI
OF MONEY THAT NUMBER ONE DRAFT @
PICK MADE, THAT WAS JUST
SOMETHING THAT WAS DONE IN THE
NFL.
NFL.
NFL. AND
NFL. AND HANGING OUT IN THE STREETS
WITH WOMEN, AND THINGS LIKE
THAT, THAT WAS MY PERCEPTION.
THAT WAS MY IDEA.4@
>> Reporter: IT WAS THE WORST
IDEA OF SHARP'S LIFE.
HE WAS ADDICTED TO CRACK
CO4@CAINE FOR 20 YEARS.
THE MAN WHO USED TO PERFORM IN
FRONT OF 4@TENS OF THOUSANDS OF
PEOPLE ONCE WAS BEATEN UP AND
FOUND SHOT IN A CRACK HOUSE4@ I
SOUTH PHOENIX.
SOUTH PHOENIX. SHARP WAS ARRESTED MULTIPLE
TIMES ON DRUG-RELATED CHARGES.
HE SPENT EIGHT YEARS IN PRIS4@O
>> SHOCK.
>> SHOCK.
>> SHOCK. IT WAS HARD TO HEAR.
IT WAS SADDENING BECAUSE HE WAS
SUCH A SPECIAL4@ PERSON.
IT WAS A TRAGEDY.
>> Reporter: AND IN PRISON,
SHARP ALMOST LOST HIS LIFE.
>> IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ME,
BUT THE PRISONS ARE VERY
SEGREGATED IN ARIZONA.
THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH ONE OF
THE BLACKHEADS AND THE
WHITEHEADS OVER A GAMBLING
DEBT.
DEBT.
DEBT. I
DEBT. I JUST 4@GOT CAUGHT UP WITH AND
IT.
IT.
IT. 10
IT. 10 GUYS DON'T ME.
I WAS KICKED IN THE HEAD.
I SPENT A WEEK IN THE HOSPITAL
RECUPERATING. 4@
RECUPERATING. 4@ >> Reporter:4@4@ BUT IT WAS ALS
IMPRISONED THAT SHARP
EVENTUALLY GAVE HIS LIFE TO
CHRIST.
CHRIST.
CHRIST. >> I ACCEPTED HIM.
I REMEMBER STUDYING THE
SCRIPTURES WHEN I WAS IN
PRISON.
PRISON.
PRISON. THE SCRIPTURES MADE ABSOLUTELY
NO SENSE IN MY LIFE, ALL THE
SUDDEN THEY OPENED UP AND I
STARTED TO SEE MYSELF IN
BIBLICAL CHARACTERS.
BIBLICAL CHARACTERS. I STARTED HAVING SOME HOPE4@ TH
IF A GOD OF THE 4@BIBLE COULD
DELIVER AND CHANGE THOSE MEN'S
HEARTS, HE CERTAINLY COULD AND
WOULD DELIVER ME.
AND COULD 4@USE ME TO MAXIMUM
VALUE IN THE COMMUNITY.
MY NAME IS LUIS SHARP. I AM
HERE TO TELL YOU THAT YOU DON'T
WANT4@ 4@TO GO WHERE I HAVE BEE
I HAD A LOT 4@OF SUCCESSES.4@
I BECAME AN ALL-PRO.
I WAS A TEAM CAPTAIN.
I WAS MA4@KING LOTS OF MONEY.
I HAD ALL KINDS OF ADULATION,
PLANS OF THE FANS OF THE
COMMUNITY.
COMMUNITY. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED,
FELLAS?
FELLAS?
FELLAS? I
FELLAS? I DID NOT 4@STAY CENTERED.
I DID NOT KNOW WHO I WAS.
>> Reporter: SO NOW SHARP
TRAVELS THE COUNTRY TO TELL 4@H
STORY.
STORY.
STORY. DO
STORY. DO AS I SAY.
NOT AS I HAVE DONE. 4@
>> WHAT WAS MY GREATEST CURSE
HAS BECOME MY BEST4@ LESSON,
BECAUSE I HAVE FOUND PURPOSE,
SIGNIFICANCE, VALUE WITH MY
LIFE, DOING EXACTLY WHAT I4@4@
DOING.
DOING.
DOING. SHARING WITH THESE PEOPLE.
YOU CAN BECOME A PRODUCTIVE,
RESPONSIBLE, LAW-ABIDING,
RESPONSIBLE, LAW-ABIDING, TAXPAYING MEMBER OF SOCIETY.
ANY PERSON THAT IS4@ ADDICTED T
SUBSTANCE CAN LOSE 4@THE DESIRE
STOP USING DRUGS, AND LIVE A
NEW LIFE. 4@
>> Reporter: THAT IS WHAT HE IS
DOING NOW.
DOING NOW. LIVING A NEW LIFE.
THE LONG BATTLE WITH EACH AND
EVERY DEMON APPEARS TO BE OVER.
IT IS TIME TO LIVE.
>> 4@I SPENT SOME TIME WITH QUI
A FEW OF HIS 4@TEAMMATES AT THE
GOLF TOURNAMENT.
GOLF TOURNAMENT. THEY ARE JUST PULLING FOR HIM
REALLY HARD.4@
REALLY HARD.4@ THEY KNOW THAT HE DID THIS TO
HIMSELF, BUT THEY HAVE ALWAYS
LIKED HIM SO MUCH.
THEY ARE JUST SO HAPPY THAT HE
HAS FOUND A PURPOSE