D.J. Moore doesn’t hesitate to name the most influential figure in his life.
It’s the same person who whipped him to tears when he brought home a C on his report card; the one who rushed him to the hospital after he was hit by a car at 12; the one who nursed him through asthma attacks and chronic bronchitis.
“My mother, no doubt,” D.J. said. “She raised me, took care of me.”
Now the Bears defensive back is trying to take care of her.
During the first weeks of the NFL season, Moore has had more on his mind than the game plan for the next opponent. He was contemplating whether to put his mother in a drug rehabilitation center, to help her fight her addiction to crack cocaine.
“It’s just one day at a time now,” he said.
Speaking about her drug use, Doris Moore lowered her head and fought back tears.
She offered no excuses but talked about the traumatic life experiences that contributed to her depression and subsequent substance abuse. When Doris was 17, she said, she was diagnosed with cancer. Two years later, her 16-year-old sister was shot and killed in Florida.
Years later, her ex-husband and the father of her three boys was sentenced to prison. And three of her four children served jail time; one is back behind bars today.
Now, Doris, 43, is leaning on her middle son, the athlete who stayed out of trouble. “I mean, this drug thing is hard, but when I’m around D.J. or any of my kids, it makes life easier,” Doris said. “I look at D.J. and I’m just so proud of him.
“I remember telling him a long time ago, ‘I don’t know what it is about you, but you’re going to go all the way.’ And here he is.”
Outside the locker room recently, after D.J. returned an interception 54 yards for a touchdown against the Redskins, Doris proudly displayed her son’s jersey. D.J., a second-year pro from Vanderbilt who was thrust into the spotlight with two interceptions in a victory over the Cowboys in Week 2, beamed all the way to the end zone.
But inside, the former fourth-round draft pick aches over his mother’s drug history.
“Like anything else, once you go down, it’s hard,” D.J. said. “Heck, I’ve seen a lot of people go through this. … But you know what? I’m going to try to get her right. I can help her get through this.”
It’s the latest obstacle for D.J., who has overcome much in just 23 years.
Half the homes in Lakeview Manor are boarded up. Residents who remain in the low-income housing subdivision in Spartanburg, S.C., say police finally have started to rid the community of drugs and violence.
David James Moore grew up in Lakeview Manor without his father. He never enjoyed luxuries inside his family’s small four-bedroom house. D.J. refused to succumb to the lifestyle those around him flaunted.
“I mean, I did the usual, like stealing candy from the store, but nothing major,” D.J. said. “I was playing basketball, football and running track.”
His siblings took a different path.
D.J.’s older sister, Janell Boyce, 28, served eight years in prison for robbery, according to Spartanburg County Jail records.
“My mom didn’t raise us to do crazy stuff like that. She always told us to stay in school and stay in church. But I was kind of a free spirit,” said Boyce, who was released in December 2008.
D.J.’s older brother, Eddie Moore, 25, served time in federal prison for distributing crack cocaine, according to court documents. And his younger brother, Robert Moore, 22, is in a South Carolina prison for violating his parole.
At one point, Doris said, police stormed the house looking for Eddie. Since D.J. was the only one home, officers strip-searched him. Eventually, D.J. moved in with the family of his best friend, current Vanderbilt defensive end Teriall Brannon.
“That was just the lifestyle we were around,” Brannon said. “And the people who were selling drugs, even they told D.J. and I to stay in school and hit the books. They knew our stats when we walked through the neighborhood. They wanted us to succeed.”
As D.J. walked the narrow path, Doris’ world continued to spiral out of control. Financial difficulties forced her out of her home. “I lost everything I had,” she said. This, Doris said, is when she started using drugs.
D.J. learned from his family’s misfortunes, but his sister’s situation had the most impact. Boyce had a baby son, and D.J. helped raise his nephew for five years while Boyce was in prison.
“Yeah, I had to change his diapers,” D.J. said. “You never really know when you need to become a grown man. And I’m still growing as we speak.”
The tattoo on D.J.’s left arm is a testament to his love for his mother. Her face is sketched next to her name with the words “World’s Greatest Mom” surrounding the portrait.
Now his challenge is to find a way to help his mom. As a minimum-salary player slated to earn $395,000 this season, D.J. was willing to pay the $30,000-plus to get treatment for Doris.
“Some days, she was open to it. Some days, she wasn’t,” D.J. said. “I mean, once you get on those drugs, you really don’t have control of your mind.”
Doris, who says she became addicted in 2006, explained why she is hesitant to seek outside help.
“Yes, I’m open to rehab, but it’s too expensive, for one,” she said. “And a lot of it is just a mind thing. Sometimes, rehab can help. Sometimes, it can hurt.”
Doris pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a weapon in 2006 and received a 30-day jail sentence, according to Murray Glenn, spokesman for the 7th Circuit Solicitor’s Office in South Carolina. She was cited with possession of drug paraphernalia in 2008, and the charges are still pending.
Hoping to help his mother, D.J. decided three weeks ago to bring her to Chicago, in part to keep her away from those providing her with crack cocaine.
The responsibility of caring for his mother hasn’t kept D.J. from excelling on the field. He won the nickel-back role during training camp and leads the Bears with three interceptions through seven games. He has the team’s only defensive touchdown.
As the nickel back, D.J. works closely with Bears head coach Lovie Smith.
“Yes, I know about his history a little bit, but we’re not talking about it,” Smith said. “It’s not affecting anything he’s doing on the football field. But when you work that closely with someone, you learn that he’s a deep guy. He’s a smart guy. He’s instinctive and very eager to learn. He’s a no-excuse, no-nonsense-type guy, which I love.”
Doris saw her son play in college only once, but she attended the Bears’ last two home games. On Oct. 24, she came with her daughter, who is heading back to school and just gave birth to a baby girl.
When the Bears played at Carolina, Eddie made the trip and said he has left drug dealing behind.
D.J., who left Vanderbilt early for the pros to enhance his family’s financial situation, is completing his education degree.
But before he can focus on teaching children, getting the most important adult in his life back on track is his top priority.
“I just try to stay focused on the positive things going on with D.J. and all my kids right now,” Doris said. “Most of the people in our family just bring people down and are negative. That only makes things worse.”
Doris was asked if she plans to stop using drugs.
“For me, with this drug thing … I mean, you’re talking about opening up a can of hell in your life,” she said. “But I’m going to try my best to be clean. Just try my best and pray.”
