Why was Bryan Braman arrested? Eagles LB overcame a lot of adversity on his road to Philadelphia

Bryan Braman was a former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker. He recently died at 38 from cancer and had to overcome great adversity to reach the league. This included a run-in with the law that could have derailed his career.

Braman was born into poverty and faced hardship throughout his childhood. Raised in Spokane, Washington, he endured instability at home and moved frequently with his mother and sister while the family lived paycheck to paycheck.

But in 2010, Braman’s budding career suffered an additional blow. About halfway through his senior season at West Texas A&M, he was suspended indefinitely after he was arrested and charged with manufacture of a controlled substance, psilocybin, the hallucinogen that gives psychedelic mushrooms their hallucinogenic quality.

According to Philadelphia Magazine, Braman stated that he was living elsewhere at the time, but his name was on the rental agreement of the house where the drugs were found.

Bryan Braman pleaded guilty in June 2011 and was sentenced to one year of deferred adjudication and a $2,000 fine. Thirty days later, though, the prosecutor ended his probation and dismissed the case. However, the arrest made it difficult for him to pursue his dreams of being drafted into the NFL.

A look into Bryan Braman's early career and struggles

For a time in high school, Braman was homeless, resting and sleeping wherever he could with his pit bull, Doja, at his side. However, his athletic talent was evident despite the obstacles (Philadelphia Magazine). He was a star in football and track, and his coaches claimed that if he pursued it, he would have made it to the Olympics.

Braman began his college career at the University of Idaho, where academic difficulties and off-the-field distractions prevented him from ever seeing game action. He eventually dropped out after two semesters.

This choice had supposedly left him feeling depressed. He returned to Spokane, where he started working in the fields or doing construction by day and sleeping on park benches at night. It was then that Bryan Braman decided he needed to change his life.

According to Philadelphia Magazine, he got back into the mix with help from his former high school academic counselor at Long Beach City College, who helped Bryan Braman re-establish himself as an up-and-coming athlete on the field.

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He would eventually get transferred to West Texas A&M, where he got his first big breakthrough as a player. After his conviction and release, Braman didn’t give up. Braman signed with the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2011.

Bryan Braman joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014 and was responsible for the team's Super Bowl win in the 2017 season. Amidst his recent death, tributes have poured in from his fellow players, fans, and clubs. A GoFundMe page established for him has also seen a sudden spike in donations after his death.

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