C.J. Stroud is enjoying a strong start to his NFL career. After a breakout rookie season, he has led the Texans to a second consecutive AFC South title in 2024.

While the Ohio State product is making an impact on the field, he is already using his platform off the field to bring awareness to issues that hit close to home.

After his dominant showing in Week 9 against the Buccaneers, Stroud, speaking on the subject of his imprisoned father, explained his desire to shine a light on the need for criminal justice reform.

“That’s what I’ve been battling with, trying to still be a family man … and still be a football player and do my job,” Stroud said. “I got to talk to my dad a little bit this week. I’m praying to God that something can happen, that he can get out and come to one of these games. I’ve been praying for him a lot.”

Stroud made a statement in Week 13 of the 2023 season, wearing cleats that say “Free Pops” for the Texans’ matchup with the Broncos.

Stroud’s father hasn’t been able to watch any of the Houston star’s games in person. He wasn’t in attendance for any of his son’s games at Ohio State, either.

Here is more information on Stroud’s father and why he is in prison.

Why is C.J. Stroud’s dad in prison?

Stroud’s father, Coleridge Bernard Stroud III, is in prison after pleading guilty in 2015 to carjacking, kidnapping, robbery and misdemeanor sexual battery.

The sentence was a result of a drug-related incident in California, where the elder Stroud ended up jumping into the San Diego Bay in an attempt to evade police.

According to reports, on April 12, 2015, police arrested Stroud in downtown San Diego after he allegedly forced himself inside the vehicle of a woman. She was waiting in traffic at a spotlight when he decided to jump into the car, demanding that she drive to a location where he could purchase drugs.

The woman was able to escape, but she alleged that she had been assaulted by Stroud. San Diego Harbor police chased him until crashed the car into a pole and as a result, he hopped into the San Diego Bay.

That was not the elder Stroud’s first run-in with the law. In the early 90s, he had three previous convictions for possession of illegal drugs, receiving stolen property, armed robbery and attempted second-degree robbery.

C.J. Stroud’s dad’s prison sentence

Coleridge Bernard Stroud III is serving a 38-year sentence after pleading guilty to the counts of carjacking, kidnapping, robbery and misdemeanor sexual battery.

It is the second time the patriarch has been incarcerated in his life. He won’t be eligible for parole at Folsom State Prison until 2040, when he’ll be 74.

The arrest of Stroud’s father put his family “into financial ruin.” The four children and Stroud’s mother, Kimberley, were close to being homeless as a result. With Stroud’s father mostly absent during the quarterback’s adolescence, it caused Stroud to mature at a young age.

“He had a choice when his father went away,” Stroud’s mother said. “He was going to let that motivate him and be the best or he was going to succumb to it and become a statistic of a kid whose parent did something they shouldn’t.

“I sit and I’m amazed at how resilient he is. C.J. is the most amazing human I have ever met.”

C.J. Stroud’s call for criminal justice reform

After a win over the Buccaneers during the 2023 season, Stroud took time to explain why criminal justice reform is an important topic on his mind.

“I didn’t want to make this public, but our criminal justice isn’t right,” Stroud said. “It’s something that I probably need to be a little more vocal about, because what he’s going through is not right.

“It’s not just my dad’s situation, the whole criminal justice system is corrupt. I’ve been watching videos. In Mississippi, some of the prisons have rats and roaches and things like that.

“Don’t get me wrong: Criminals should do their time, and everything should be like that. But they’re still humans. I just wanted to shine a light on that real quick.”

After his call to action in his postgame press conference, Stroud said he received numerous messages from the public stating how “proud” they were to hear the quarterback talk about the criminal justice issues.

“For me, I honestly just wanted to shine a light, not only on my dad’s situation, but what’s going on in our criminal justice system. I’ve even learned more through working with REFORM. I’ve had a couple of dinners and conversations with those guys. It’s easy to be vocal when you have other guys doing the same thing. It’s not just me out here trying to push the envelope.

“For me, I always wanted to shine light on that. My dad actually asked me not to. He always wanted me to focus on ball. I honestly did it just to shine light on it, not just for his situation but for the whole thing.”

Stroud reiterated his postgame point that he still believes that if someone commits a crime, they should do the time. However, he also wants people to recognize that those behind bars are human beings.

“Like I said on Sunday, don’t get me wrong, you make a mistake and if it’s criminal or whatever the case may be at, you should have to pay it back,” Stroud said. “Whatever crime you commit, you have to reap the consequences for that. But at the same time, these are still people.”