•s
Ivy
lickenbottom
Aaron Wills
finds his way
back from
the edge
On Oct. 24, 1997, Aaron Wills saw his life flash before him. He didn’t like
what he saw.
It wasn’t a near-death experience that caused him to make this realization,
but at the time death might have felt better.
It was Aaron’s 21st birthday, and he had just been suspended from the
Nebraska football team for two months after failing his third drug test.
He would be forced to pay for school, his parents told him, if he were dis
missed from the football team. Furthermore he didn’t have a solid relationship
with his girlfriend, Julia Russell. He also had few friends who he felt would
stand by his side.
Most importantly, he was setting a bad example for his younger brother,
Colin, whom he loved very much.
“My life pretty much came to a crossroads,” said Aaron, the starting senior
left rush end. “I had nothing. God pretty much took everything out of my life
and showed me that there was nothing in my life.”
Rather than let his life deteriorate any further, Aaron dedicated himself to
God and decided to change his ways.
Aaron hurt many people, but through it all, Colin and Russell stuck with him
and defended his public image.
Colin, now 20, had looked up to his brother from the time he was little. He
followed in Aaron’s footsteps at Omaha Burke and now at Nebraska.
But Colin didn’t completely follow Aaron’s ways.
Wrong road
At Omaha Burke High School, Aaron was a 4.0 student, a standout swim
mer and star football player.
He was a captain of the football team, and his high school coach, Larry
Jacobsen, called him “one of the best offensive and defensive players
to ever play at Burke.”
Aaron seemea HKe me meat roie mouei lor younger
student athletes. But there was a darker side - one that
found him drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana.
It was a side Colin didn’t know much about until
Aaron’s first failed drug test at Nebraska in 1995.
just didn’t know where that
It led Aaron to the verge of ing important in m
Aaron would work hard vfootball, bigt he i
aged to stay eligible by ,, .bo^lhe
When he was drunk or ^
player got into fights and oL ge jjjMjfejaLMHM
“When I have gotten past fhave hufpeopte
“People could hit me, < I would end
worse. 1 broke a i ^ n
His temper carried over to the football field, where he would pick up penal
ties for fighting back and trying to get even.
“I was out of control” Aaron said. “If something went wrong'
pushed me wrong, I would try to get in a fight.” ^ mm
He described himself at that time as selfish, self-centered and interested in
his own welfare.
Because oftlus attitude, he wouldn’t admit he had a problem or listen to peo
ple who wanted to help him.
Turning down help
Aaron’s reputation as a party animal and drug user got back to Omaha
Burke, where Colin was still in school.
The criticism brother was hard on Colin, his mother, Linda Wills, said.
“He never talked about it too much, but it reflected upon him, too, at
school,” she said “He never blamed his brother.”
Colin wanted tp help his brother, but he was still in high school and didn’t
knowhow -
“Either (Aaron) wouldhave said ‘it was all under control’ or ‘mind your
business,”’ C$lin said^Back then, I guess he wouldn’t have listened or
my opinion much to heart like I feel he would now.”
The one person Aaron did listen to was Russell.
Even before Aaron was suspended Oct. 24,1997, Russell had been
to change his ways.
“Things weren’t working out the best,” said Russell,
from South Africa. “He lied a lot, and I totally knew,
n’t doing drugs and be high as a kite. My concern was
‘If you don’t do something, you will battle this you||*
He listened to a point but even on his last fat
marijuana. *J|
It wasn’t until he received the results Oct. 24,
at rock bottom.
to show him the ropes, but not
Aaron said. “Now I pray every day that he
things I did.
I look back on my life now, there are a lot of things I wish 1
or do differently. All I can do now is pray that he follows in
