Getty/Instagram Learn about Terrelle Pryor's family.
Terrelle Pryor, the NFL wide receiver in critical condition after a stabbing attack, overcame a difficult childhood in which he was sometimes homeless to find success on the football field.
WTAE-TV is reporting that Pryor was stabbed at the Heinz Lofts apartment complex in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The news broke on November 30, 2019. Shalaya Briston is in custody. A police press release described Pryor and Briston as “mutual combatants”; Briston, 24, of Munhall, PA was accused of Criminal Attempt Homicide and Aggravated Assault. Pryor, 30, of Pittsburgh, was accused of simple assault.
ESPN reporter Adam Schefter reported on Twitter that “Former NFL WR Terrelle Pryor underwent surgery this morning and is in critical condition after being stabbed last night at his Pittsburgh apartment in the shoulder and chest, per source.” Pryor, 30, is currently a free agent.
Pryor’s family includes his son and mother, who raised him as a single mom. His father is dead, and he does not have a wife, although he’s been involved in conflict between girlfriends before.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Pryor & His Mom Were Homeless for a Time & Living in Motels
Cleveland.com described Pryor’s impoverished background, reporting that he “lived in motels as a kid and got mocked for wearing the same clothes day after day.”
He grew up in a small town called Jeannette, which was near Pittsburgh. He was raised mostly by his mom, Thomasina, who is also called Toni.
“It was pretty much my mom, me, my brother and sister,” Pryor told Cleveland.com, explaining how his mom worked multiple jobs to take care of them. “We were moving in out of hotels and stuff like that. We couldn’t afford a house.”
His siblings are named Tyrone and Tamika.
2. Terrelle’s Mom Is a Strident Defender of Her Son
In 2011, when Pryor was accused of improperly trading memorabilia for various benefits, his mother leapt to his defense. According to 10tv.com, she “fiercely defended” her son.
At the time, Pryor was the Ohio State QB. The television station accused Pryor of possibly obtaining loaner cars and his mother of buying a car for him. His mother Thomasina Pryor denied wrongdoing.
“I am not doing anything wrong,” she said to the television station. “I mean, I have a job, I work all the time. My son’s had a car since he was 18-year-old. What’s the difference? Everybody has a car. It doesn’t matter to me. My son is what matters to me. I wish everybody would understand that.”
The television station reported that Thomasina had recent financial challenges.
3. Terrelle’s Father Died When He Was Young & Pryor’s Son Has His Own Instagram Page
According to Cleveland.com, Terrelle’s dad was named Craig. He was only 44 years old when he died young from a “rare neurological disorder that had him confined to a wheelchair,” the news site reported.
“It was tough,” Pryor told the site.
Cleveland.com described how Craig left Pryor and his mom when Pryor was 6 years old but they reconnected later in life.
During the memorabilia scandal, Craig Pryor also defended his son, saying, according to ESPN: “Everyone is saying he took cars and whatnot. I don’t know where all that is coming from. I don’t see anybody asking anybody else, ‘Where did you get your car?'”
Pryor lost a man who served as his mentor around the same time.
Terrelle frequently posts pictures of his son on Instagram. His son is also named Terrelle, so Pryor now refers to himself as Pryor Sr.
Terrelle Jr. has his own Instagram page, which says it’s run by his mom and dad.
4. Terrelle, Who Is Not Married, Was Once Caught in the Midst of a Social Media Feud With Girlfriends, Including His Son’s Mom
According to the New York Post, Terrelle Pryor was previously “at the center of an ugly feud between Heaven Lei, the mother of his child, and ex-girlfriend Chania Ray.”
“Let’s be clear why me and terrelle even started falling off in the first place ..” Ray wrote on social media. “YOU and HIM did what grown people do (f–k) and YOU got pregnant by him, and YOU got an abortion. This was never about your son and I’ve NEVER talked s–t about your son at all.”
However, Rei denied every having an abortion. Lei told The Post that the “whole situation started because Chania was caught on a recording speaking ill of my 4 year old son & that’s what made me go off on her on Instagram.” Here are the posts.
5. Terrelle’s Brother Was a Good Athlete Too But Was Kicked Out of High School
Terrelle wasn’t the only talented athlete in the family. He told Cleveland.com that his brother Tyrone was an “awesome athlete” but was kicked out of high school.
He went to Delaware State but got kicked out of college and was living in Pittsburgh and working in construction in later years, according to the news site.
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