His family was scared he'd go to prison. How J.C. Jackson kept his NFL dream alive.
First in a series exploring the origin stories of three of the Chargers' top defensive players, each of whom grew up in a small rural town in Florida.
Today, J.C. Jackson, who hasn't had a football career as much as a football odyssey.
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LAKELAND, Fla. — They sold their house, their furniture, Dad's truck and his motorcycle.
Lisa Dasher and Chris Jackson surrendered their jobs and their friends and trekked 140 miles north, joining Lisa's oldest daughter in her apartment — her one-and-a-half bedroom apartment.
"We was living in the half," Lisa recalled, smiling.
Dasher, Jackson and their son, J.C., were three of the seven people wedged into the space, their lives squeezed for the most basic of reasons: They needed money.
Yes, the bills were significant. And so were the circumstances. They had to pay the attorneys trying to keep J.C. out of prison.
"Every success he's having now is very emotional to me because I know the path," Lisa said. "I tell people, 'You don't understand everything that we had to sacrifice to be here.' It just wasn't easy. But I'm glad we made it, man."
In March, J.C. Jackson signed with the Chargers, accepting a five-year contract worth up to $82.5 million, $40 million of which is guaranteed.
A team rebuilding its defense added one of the NFL's top cornerbacks, a tough, resilient, playmaking star coming off his first Pro Bowl appearance and four seasons removed from being a Super Bowl champion.
But the Chargers added more than that because Jackson hardly arrived on his
