Greg Kelley to Join Eastern Michigan After Exoneration for Child Sexual Assault

Greg Kelley, who had a 2014 conviction for sexually assaulting a child overturned in November, announced Saturday that he has received a scholarship to play college football at Eastern Michigan University.

Kelley wrote in an Instagram post: "I am excited to announce that I have been offered a D1 full ride scholarship to play football for [Eastern Michigan]!! I want to thank everyone at Eastern Michigan for giving me this opportunity to play the game I love again. I missed it so much and I can't wait to pad up this week!"

According to ESPN's Dave Wilson, Kelley was arrested while he was a senior high school football player in Leander, Texas, in 2013 and later convicted of sexual abuse of a child after a 4-year-old who attended an in-home day care at Kelley's residence alleged that he abused them.

Kelley's case was reopened in 2017 because of a lack of physical evidence. When announcing the decision at the retrial, a Texas district court judge said: "I declare you innocent, and you are fully exonerated."

Kelley is perhaps best known for being the subject of a five-hour Showtime documentary series called Outcry that was released in July.

Kelley originally committed to play at UTSA before his arrest. At the time, 247Sports graded him as a 2-star prospect and the No. 180 safety in the recruiting class of 2014.

In January, Kelley enrolled at the University of Texas in an attempt to make the Longhorns as a walk-on, but he changed direction after being informed that Texas wasn't adding any additional players for the 2020 season.

Now that Kelley has a scholarship with EMU, he is in line to play college football for the first time at the age of 25.

Kelley will have to wait before making his debut, however, as the Mid-American Conference voted to delay its 2020 season from the fall until the spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nicholas Piotrowicz of the Toledo Blade reported that MAC presidents met this week and are scheduled to do so again next week. Piotrowicz noted that a vote on potentially holding a fall season could soon take place as well.