‘I don’t think you can save people! But you can be there for them, can’t you?’ Remember this line from the movie Beautiful Boy, where Timothée Chalamet plays a young teen struggling with drugs, and his father does everything he can to help him? Sadly, Garett Bolles’ story follows a similar path. Born in California, Bolles moved to Lehi, Utah, as a kid. He’s been through a lot of struggles from a young age.

From failing classes to switching schools multiple times, hanging out with the wrong crowd, and even spending time in jail, Bolles went through it all before making it to the NFL. He made a name for himself in America’s most followed league. Right now, most people know him for what he does on the field, but much of his early life is still untold.

Who is Garett Bolles’ dad?

Garett Bolles’ biological dad is Grove Bolles, but not much is known about his birth family. His biological mother reportedly struggled with substance abuse, which resulted in his tough childhood. Bolles has never really talked about his birth family and some claim he had a strained relationship with his father.

Bolles got kicked out by Grove when he was just 19 and had graduated high school. The reason? His involvement with gangs, violence, and other trouble. He once vandalized Lehi High School’s football field with four other kids from his school. At the time, he was at Westlake High. After being thrown out, he ended up on the streets until he met someone who completely changed his life.

To this day, Bolles is super grateful to that person and gets pretty emotional when he talks about them. They showed him the way out. Everything he is today, he owes to them. So, who exactly are they? It was none other than his high school lacrosse coach, Greg Freeman, and his wife, Emily.

Meet Greg and Emily Freeman, who tutored Garett

Greg Freeman spotted Bolles on a road near his house, carrying garbage bags, cardboard boxes, and duffel bags with all his stuff. At the time, Freeman, who was a lacrosse coach, was driving his truck and immediately recognized Bolles. He’d coached him in lacrosse when Bolles was a teen. On top of that, Freeman’s wife, Emily, had even tutored Bolles back in high school.

And that was the moment that completely changed his life. Seeing him in that state and hearing his story, Freeman’s heart bled for the young kid. So much so, he immediately called his wife to get her opinion. Emily told him to bring the kid home. The couple already had four kids of their own, but they were happy to make room for Bolles, too. Emily still remembers that moment and how she prayed to God after hearing her husband’s story. She felt like God was telling her to take him in and help him.

At Freeman’s house, Bolles got everything—love, support, and all the help he needed. But it came with a price. The couple set three rules for him to stay: donate ten percent of any income he made to the church, go to church regularly, and cut ties with his old friends who were a bad influence. Moving on, the 32-year-old offensive tackle for the Denver Broncos is happily married to Natalie Bolles and has three children.

When he’s not playing in the NFL or spending time with his family, he runs the GB3 Foundation, a charity that helps kids and young adults with learning disabilities.