Nike Boss Larry Miller has met with the family of the teenager he murdered in the 1960s and has asked them for forgiveness, the New York Times reports.
Miller, 72, served four-and-a-half years in prison after pleading guilty to the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Edward David White, of the Cedar Avenue gang in Philadelphia – revealing his criminal past in a Sports Illustrated interview last October, saying he was drunk and looking for blood to avenge his friend's death after they were stabbed.
Miller, who was 16 at the time, also served another five years for a series of armed robberies before eventually turning his life around, going on to become chairman of the Michael Jordan brand at Nike.
According to the New York Times, Miller first met with White’s son, daughter and sister at a Philadelphia law office on 17 December, after a family member read the article about the murder and Miller’s new book Jump: My Secret Journey from the Streets to the Boardroom.
The family then met with Miller again last week, saying they felt ‘blindsided’ by his big reveal.
Hasan Adams, 56, was just eight months old when his father was killed – while sister Aziah Arline, 55, never met him, as she was still a few months away being born when he died.
Speaking to the Times, Arline said that because her father was not mentioned in the book, it was ‘like he was a nobody’.
Miller also hadn’t informed the family before the Sports Illustrated article and book were published, which made her feel like they were ‘truly an afterthought for him’.
White’s 84-year-old sister Barbara Mack also said she read Miller a letter about her sibling during their first meeting, explaining how he worked at a diner and was about to become a father to his second child.
Mack said she chose to forgive him for the murder, adding: “If I didn't forgive him, God wouldn't forgive me.”
She said Miller teared up throughout their meeting, not only apologising to her, but also asking if they could hug.
Mack agreed, but told him: “If I was 30 years younger, I would have been across that table at you.”
She told the Times that she did not attend last week’s second meeting - where discussions about setting up a scholarship foundation in White’s name were discussed - because she doesn’t ‘have to see him anymore’.
Miller told the outlet that he had always intended to contact White’s relatives – even hiring a private investigator – but that he felt ‘nervous’ and ‘anxious’ about it.
He said that he has worked on forgiving himself over the years, doing good for the community while also asking for forgiveness from God.
“And now for the possibility of Mr. White's family also forgiving me, I think that kind of completes the circle for me,” Miller added.
Featured Image Credit: GettyTopics: US News
Jess Hardiman