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Lonestar
10-05-2010, 02:16 PM
Broncos Guard Daniels Tells Of Tough Childhood
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Reporting
Gary Miller DENVER (CBS4) ―

Broncos guard Stanley Daniels is only getting his feet wet in the NFL. The newly acquired offensive lineman spent time on the practice squad with the Packers and the Jets over the past two years and he's now seeing action for the first time as a pro. Daniels has also seen more difficulty in his first 25 years than most of us see in a lifetime.

Daniels grew up on the mean streets of San Diego. His father was beaten to death in a brawl only two blocks from the family's house.

"When I was young I was told it was an accident, how he passed. When I got older it came out that he was actually murdered," Daniels told CBS4's Gary Miller.

Even though Daniels was just a child, he had to become the man of the family.

"My mom was addicted to drugs, and, you know ... that's how we grew up. I was the oldest son. I had to be there for my brothers and my sister," he said. "I had to be the father for my brothers as they got older."

Daniels' mother went to prison twice. When she was around, it wasn't usually for very long.

"Anyone who knows about people in drug addiction understands that sometimes time and reality aren't the same. My mom would say 'I'll be right back -- I'll be back in an hour' and three days later come home and say 'See, it was only an hour.' But in reality it was three days. It's a self-inflicted disease."

Daniels said he and his siblings had to survive using anything they could think of. They'd get water from the neighbors' hose.

"We'd fill up three big tupperwares with water -- one for drinking, one for cleaning and one for whatever else."

Daniels said the family would eat "whatever we could get our hands on."

"We'd eat cake mix -- mix it up and make cakes. No frosting. The ice cream man used to knew our situation. He used to always give us stuff. It was hard."

Sports saved Daniels. He was a talented enough football player to get a scholarship to the University of Washington.

Sports also saved his family.

"When I went to college I was gone and my mom put herself into a rehab program in San Diego and she got clean. She started working and went to school and got certified as a medical decoder. And she's been on that journey ever since."

Daniels said his mother has now been clean for eight years.

"Do you think the journey that you are on saved her?" Gary Miller asked.

"Yeah. I know it did because the journey she was on motivated me, and that's why if you ask my mom 'Who's your hero?' she'll say me. And if you ask me I'll say 'My mom.'"