SUNDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2010


KLMNO COLLEGE FOOTBALL “Never in a million years would I think that he would have made it this far,


but he did. God is good.Hehas been a fighter from day one.” —Monica Jenkins on her son Torrey Smith’s success


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MARVIN JOSEPH/THE WASHINGTON POST


Atrip to theMilitary Bowl atRFKStadium onWednesday could mark the end of Torrey Smith’s accolade-filled football career atMaryland, far right.His mother’s house, above, is filled with Smith’s photographs, football trophies and plaques.


JOHN MCDONNELL/THE WASHINGTON POST


Smith built a steely resolve in his earliest years 6


smith from D2 No one dared challengeMonica.


‘Stay strong to keepme strong’ When Torrey walked into Circuit


Court inMontross, Va., on Aug. 6, he saw his mom for the first time in six months. Shehadbeen lockedupatNorthernNeck Regional Jail; visiting hours were only on weekdays, when he was in school. Monica had done so much to get her


life on track. She earned her associate of arts computer degree in 2000 and had a six-figure IT job. She says she had not been in a fight in 13 years before Feb. 18, when a family dispute between Monica and daughter-in-law Caprice Smith turned violent. Monica feared she could have been put away for 20 years. She had a past: several arrests, a two-month jail sentence. After this arrest, Torrey was the stoic


one, just as he had been when parenting his siblings years before. His strength bolstered her spirit. “Let me tell you something about


Torrey,” she says. “Torrey is a very strong child.He is not going to letmeknow that he is down. Because he knows that if I know he is down, I’mjust through. So he tries to stay strong to keep me strong. And I love him to death for that.” But it weighed onTorrey.Those closest


to him saw it. He didn’t feel he could control much in his personal life. With- out a job, he couldn’t help his siblings financially. During spring practice, when stressed, he confided in Lee Hull, Mary- land’s wide receivers coach, Friedgen, as well as friend Chanel Williams.He drove home on weekends to help care for siblings. Just like old times, the Micro- wave King reporting for duty. In a desperate attempt to get out of


prison and be with her kids again,Moni- ca pleaded guilty to felony unlawful wounding, requesting that she be spared additional jail time beyond the six months she had already served. Consid- ering her past arrests for assault, she had no idea if the judge would accept the plea agreement. Friedgen had written her a character


reference that was acknowledged in court. It read in part: “I have never met a better character player than Torrey Smith. As a single mother, Monica has


on washingtonpost.com ‘I like every struggle I have been through’


See additional photos of Torrey Smith on and off the field, and


watch video of Smith and his family and friends at his graduation from Maryland. wapo.st/torreysmith


Without hesitation, Torrey says: “Tell


the truth and you will work with me. Lie and get a beating.” “I toldyouheknows,” she tells a visitor. She calls some of his siblings to ask the


same question. They stumble or hesitate before finally getting it. Monica has been able to attend all of


Torrey’s home games because she re- ceives permission from her probation officer. She is not allowed to attend road games but she was granted permission to be atRFKStadium onWednesday for the Military Bowl, which could be Torrey’s final college game if he chooses to forgo his senior season to enter the NFL draft. He could be taken in the first tworounds. Family considerations will play a large


MARVIN JOSEPH/THE WASHINGTON POST


Smith’s hard work on and off the field has put him in a position to go pro early and possibly even be selected in the first fewrounds of April’sNFLdraft.


done an amazing job in raising seven children. This is a woman who has dedicated her life to her family.” During the hearing, the defense attor-


ney asked Torrey to stand, alone, and noted that he has done well for himself as a distinguished person at a university. It was also noted that Monica and her daughter-in-lawhave made amends. Ellis then concluded: “The plea agree-


ment in this case I believe to be entirely appropriate, and I am not going to sit here and tell you that I believe that you are a bad person. Obviously a lot of people in this room think you are a very good person. You also need to know that good people do bad things.” Later, he says: “And you are very


fortunate to have all these people who would come here on your behalf and stand up and testify to their belief in your good heart.Rememberthatwhenyou get out.”


After granting the plea, Ellis allowed


Monica to hug each of her four dozen supporters. The court reporter later called it a “heart-wrenching” emotional scene. Monica, weeping, held Torrey. He flashed her a look that she only remem- bers seeing when he was a child. He didn’t dare cry in front of his mom as an adult. But he was overwhelmed with joy. “I wouldn’t want any other mother but


her,” Torrey says.


‘A fighter fromday one’ It is midafternoon on a December


Friday when Monica climbs into the passenger seat of a visitor’s rental car, the 31/2


-inch heels on her Baby Phat thigh-


high boots jabbing at the floor mat. She snatches her cellphone from the pocket of her tight, jet-black leather jacket and calls her eldest child. “Torrey,” she says, “what’s our golden


rule?” DIGEST PROFESSIONALBASKETBALL


Wizards’ Blatche, McGee suspended for one game Andray Blatche and JaValeMc-


Gee have been suspended for one game for conduct detrimental to the team and will miss the Wiz- ards’ game on Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs. Blatche and McGee were involved in an alter- cationoutsideofanareaclubearly Friday morning, in which, two league sources said, the starting front-court players exchanged curse words and punches. Anoth- er source saidpolicewere calledto breakupthedisruption. A Wizards spokesperson said


Friday that it was “simply a dis- agreement between teammates,” but a day later,Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld determined that thedisputewentmuchdeeper. “After further investigationinto


anincidentonThursdaynight,we concludedthatAndray andJaVale conducted themselves in an un- professional manner. As a result, bothplayerswill be suspendedfor tomorrow’s game at SanAntonio,” Grunfeldsaidina statement. Blatche denied in a text mes-


sage that the twohadengagedina fight, claiming that there was “onlyonepush” tohelpthemavoid some other disturbances within


the club. No arrests were made andnoonewas injuredduring the dispute. Blatche is theWizards’ leading


scorer at 16.8 points per game and McGee is the team’s leading re- bounder at 8.3per game.TheWiz- ards have lost eight of their past nine games and are 0-13 on the roadthis season.


—MichaelLee RonArtestsaidhehasabsolute-


lynoregretsaboutgivingawayhis Los Angeles Lakers NBA champi- onshipringtoboostmentalhealth awareness. Theveteranforwardplannedto


announce thewinner of the chari- tyraffleforhis ringSaturdaynight at a club across the street from Staples Center, where the Lakers lost to the Miami Heat, 96-80, in theNBA’sChristmas showcase. “It’s a good feeling, because it


got a lot of publicity, and that’s cool,”Artest saidbeforeSaturday’s game. “I’mglad we can start over nowand do somemoreworkwith charities.” Artest came upwith the plan to


give away his first ring after put- ting a spotlight on mental health by thanking his psychiatrist after Game 7 of the Lakers’ NBA Finals


triumphoverBostoninJune. Artest’s raffle has raised more


than$500,000forhisXcelUniver- sity charity, which will work with high-risk youth on mental health issues.


COLLEGEFOOTBALL Damaris Johnson broke loose


for a career-high 326 all-purpose yards to set an NCAA career re- cord and Tulsa took advantage of six first-half turnovers to beatNo. 24 Hawaii, 62-35, in the Hawaii Bowl inHonoluluonFridaynight. The Golden Hurricane (10-3)


grounded the nation’s No. 1 pass- ing offense most of the night and broke it openwitha 21-point third quarter for its seventh straight winandthirdstraight ina bowl. “What an exciting football


game towatch,” Tulsa Coach Todd Grahamsaid. “Wemade some un- believably explosive plays in the second half and we beat a top 25 team today. And hopefully, we should be in the top 25 in the country.” Johnson earned MVP honors,


rushing for 98 yards and a touch- downandcatching fourpasses for 101 yards and another score. He had two big plays in the decisive third quarter: a 59-yard reception and a 67-yard touchdownrunthat


put Tulsa up, 41-28. He also had 109yards inkickoff returns and18 yards onpunt returns. Greg Salas also had a record


night forHawaii (10-4).Thesenior had 13 receptions for 214 yards andtwo touchdowns andset team single-season records in recep- tions andreceiving yards. Johnson, a junior, has 7,796 all-


purpose yards, breaking Western Michigan standout Brandon West’s record of 7,764 yards set from 2006 to 2009.


MISC. Derwin Kitchen scored 19


points and Chris Singleton added 17pointsand10reboundsasFlori- da State defeated No. 15 Baylor, 68-61, in the third-place game of the Diamond Head Classic in Ho- nolulu. Bernard James had 15 points


and10rebounds for theSeminoles (11-3),whorecordedtheir firstwin over a rankedteamthis season. It was a disappointing trip for


the Bears (8-3), who dropped two straight in Hawaii and three this week after reachingNo. 9. . . . London 2012 organizers say 2


million people have registered for tickets to theOlympics. When tickets go on sale in March, 8.8 million seats will be


available at prices ranging from $31 for standard events to a sym- bolic 2,012pounds ($3,105) for the top-priced seats at the opening ceremony. . . . Chivas USA has signed former U.S. national team defender Jim-


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my Conrad, who was selected in thismonth’sMajor League Soccer re-entrydraft.


—Fromnews services and staff reports


role in Torrey’s decision. The contract for Monica’s $109,000-per-year IT job with the Department of the Navy expired when she was in jail. She only recently got a job that pays


$12 per hour for her to leavehomeat 4:30 a.m. and track down debtors by tele- phone. “Would I be the youngest NFL mom?”


she asks later. After some debate, she concludes yes. The subject turns back to Torrey. “I look athimsometimes,” she says, the sentence cut off by a rush of emotion. She laughs. She pauses. She reaches


for a napkin and dabs her wet eyes. “And I get emotional. I just don’t think


he realizes how much I really love him.” She slows her speech. “Never in a million years would I think


thathewouldhavemadeit this far, buthe did. God is good. He has been a fighter from day one.”


‘Tough forme to break’ Work often forced Monica to miss


banquets or games, but Dec. 19 has been marked on her calendar for some time. On graduation day in College Park, doz- ens ofTorrey’s supporters flock to College


Park: friends, coaches, neighbors and Torrey’s biological dad, retired military man Clarence who lives in South Caroli- na.Torrey firstmethimat 6 years oldand now talks to him on the phone occasion- ally. “I could call him if I need anything


now,” Torrey said. “But it’s nothing that I couldn’t live without. They always say that awomancan’t turn a boy into a man. I disagree 100 percent.My mother taught me everything that a man could. I have been through it all, and she definitely helped me develop into a man.” When Monica first spots Torrey out-


side, he is wearing a black dress shirt, red and black tie and a Maryland varsity jacket. “Congratulations,” she says as she wraps her arms around him. She sees the bag in his hand.He had yet to put on the gown. “You’re turrrrible,” she says. Torrey’s father figure, the elder James


Torrey Smith, is also there, posing for pictures with Torrey andMonica. This is an emotional day for him. “I am proud,” he tells a visitor. “But I am more im- pressed than proud.” Two hours later, Torrey leans forward


in his seat as the student speaker talks about growingupwith a singlemom.Not long after, Monica’s head hurts from screaming. She nearly chokesonhergum when his degree in criminology and criminal justice is awarded: “James Tor- rey Smith.” “There goesmy baby!”Monica yells. She flies up from her seat, fires her


right arm in the air. On stage, Torrey makes eye contact, flashes a bright smile and holds the envelope with the diploma in the air. “Tor-rey!Mommy loves you!” They are the last family out of Comcast


Center.Amodest group then joins Torrey andMonica for a low-key dinner at Pizza Hut. Afterward, holding the bill, Monica


says, “Let’s do what I used to do back in the day. You all roll out of here. I’ll take the check and take off.” They laugh.Those days are behind her.


She raised her kids opposite. She pays the check. Torrey holds the


door for everyone. Then the Microwave King follows his best friend outside into the chilly night.


prisbelle@washpost.com


Washington at Carolina » Comcast SportsNet Plus, WFED (820 AM, 1500 AM)


COLLEGE FOOTBALL 8:30 p.m.


Little Caesars Bowl, Florida International vs. Toledo » ESPN


only from Comcast.


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