FAYETTEVILLE -- Brian and Nanci Early weren't thinking about the football potential for the 14-year-old kid they were preparing to invite into their home.
They just wanted to see the teenager, Dre Greenlaw, get a shot at a stable family life after he had spent six years as a ward of the state, bouncing from foster homes to boys homes. Greenlaw was in Fayetteville while Brian Early was serving as the defensive coordinator at Fayetteville High School from 2009-2012.
Good fortune linked Greenlaw to the Earlys and their daughters, AJ and Camryn. And the bond is now official.