By Mallory Mattingly
Newly signed San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans lost his father in 2002 after his uncle, Sam Kilgore, brutally murdered him.
Mickey Evans, Evans’ father, was abusive towards Heather, Mickey’s wife and Kilgore’s sister. One night, Kilgore shot Mickey to death over the abuse. He was sentenced to 38 years in prison for first-degree murder.
At the time, Kilgore said he had no regrets; however, years later, that changed.
“I wish that I wouldn’t have taken their father away, you know, him and his sister, they have the same father,” Kilgore said in an interview in 2016 with Lisa Salters. “I wish I wouldn’t have been the one to do that. You know, that’s a terrible thing to do.”
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Evans, who was 9 years old at the time, eventually had “to get over it” and “grow up” so that he could “become a better person.”
“I was thinking like, I gotta waste my time on this guy? This murderer? And then, you know, I just had to get over that,” Evans said. “That’s my family still, even though he can’t play God like that, but I love him. As time progressed, I just told him I forgave him.”
After his father’s murder, Evans poured everything he had into football. It became his escape, eventually taking him to the NFL.
“Sports became my drug,” Evans told The New York Times.
Despite the heartache he went through at such a young age, the athlete doesn’t like to use his tragedy as a crutch.
“I don’t like people feeling sorry for me. I never have,” he said.
However, his faith in God helps him cope with the loss.
“There’s no excuse to kill someone, murder someone,” Evans told the Times, “But faith plays a big part in everything I do. I’ve always been forgiven. I’m not perfect. He’s still family.”
“It was tough and a lot of people have tough stories around the world,” he told the Tampa Bay Times, per Bucs Nation. “It’s just that you can’t give up. There’s no excuse to give up the hand you’re dealt. You’ve just got to keep fighting and make something positive out of it.”
Evans spent 14 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after he entered the NFL. In 11 consecutive seasons, he secured over 1,000 receiving yards, the most of any wide receiver in NFL history.
Evans’ story, which is marked by heartbreak and grief, is a powerful reminder that faith in God and forgiveness can change lives.
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