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After years of homelessness, former Purdue star Ja’Whaun Bentley purchases apartment for family
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Ja’Whaun Bentley has always been a dominant player on the football field. Whether it was in high school, while at Purdue or in his first NFL season with the New England Patriots, the linebacker makes everything look so easy.
Underneath his football prowess, there’s a different side to Bentley. Like so many athletes, he’s been faced with his share of struggles.
Since Bentley’s freshman year of high school, his family has bounced around from house to house, bunking with relatives from time to time, never really finding a place to call home. This year, just a few weeks before Thanksgiving, that changed.
Bentley bought a home for his family. A place where his mother, father and brother could permanently call home.
For so many years, Bentley kept the struggles of his family to himself. He recently decided to talk with Patriots.com about the hardships he and his family faced growing up and detailed that moment of purchasing an apartment for his parents.
And when he handed the apartment keys over to his mom and dad, that long, seemingly endless tunnel gave way to open road and sunlight. They now have a space of their own. His brother has his own room for the first time in his life.
In sharing his journey, Bentley is revealing his truth openly. While vulnerable, he knows it can be impactful to do so; to let people know they are not alone in their battles.
“This is something I’ll always carry around with me. You might meet anyone and they might be going through something, and [you’ll say], ‘Let me tell you my story.’ It’s just a little push. You never know what you can say that will hit home for somebody,” Bentley said. “I remember for a long time I thought it was just me. Everybody seems fine, but I’m going through a lot right now. I feel like it’s just me, but most of the time it’s not just you. It’s everybody doing the same exact thing you’re doing which is holding it in, waiting for the right person to tell it to or waiting for an open moment to air it out.”
This Thanksgiving is going to be a little more special for the Bentley Family. It certainly won’t be on they’ll forget anytime soon.
Bentley was selected in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft but has exceled in his rookie season with the Patriots. The former Boilermaker has made 14 tackles and recorded an interception in three appearances this season.
Prior to starting his NFL career, Bentley was a three-year captain at Purdue. He recorded 272 tackles, 29.5 for loss and two interceptions while in West Lafayette.
No contribution on the field matches what he’s done off of it. And now that Bentley has revealed his story to the public, maybe he’ll be seen as more than just a football star.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB