Beech Tree News Network

Butler County students at both the middle and high school heard a personal testimony last week regarding the dangers of alcoholism and drug abuse.  The event was sponsored by the Butler County Drug Free Coalition. 

The speaker - Jerod Thomas - is one of Kentucky's most influential voices in the fields of alcoholism, drug addiction and recovery.  Thomas, a standout athlete on the football field, took students on his harrowing journey of addiction - a trip that took him to the bottom rungs of society and nearly cost him his life. 

"We were very happy to partner with our school system to provide Mr. Thomas as a speaker and I’ve heard so many positive comments about his presentation from staff and students," said Rhonda Vaughn, of the BC Drug Free Coalition. 

Jerod's gut-wrenching story runs from his early success as a star athlete to a "drug-addicted, unemployable, homeless panhandler, and then back to successful family man and businessman inspires and motivates audiences."

Since his recovery, he has spoken in "hundreds of classrooms, locker rooms, jail cells, drug courts and other venues in Kentucky and across the United States, modifying his presentations to be age and education-level appropriate for all listeners."

"Having someone like Mr. Thomas come in and speak to our middle and high school students is invaluable.  His real-life experiences and overall story is very powerful," said Scott Howard, superintendent of Butler County Schools.  "His words resonated with the entire audience.  I want to thank the Butler County Drug Free Coalition for helping provide this opportunity to Butler County Schools."

Below is additional biographical information: 

Jerod Mitchell Thomas was born in St. Alban’s, West Virginia, where he was a 1987 graduate of St. Alban’s High School.  He was a member of the Marshall University Thundering Herd Football National Championship runner-up team in 1987, and the Southern Conference championship team in 1988.  Jerod was a defensive starter at free safety and an Academic All-American.  He made a name for himself with his high energy and aggressive style of play. Jerod transferred to Morehead State University to play his senior year. At Morehead State University, Jerod was a defensive captain and named to the All Ohio Valley Conference football team, all while battling an addiction problem.  Jerod was good enough that his former coach, Rex Ryan—former head coach of the NFL’s New York Jets and Buffalo Bills—invited him to try out for the Arizona Cardinals. However, during that same time period, Jerod’s father passed away, as a result of alcoholism. This carried him further down the road of addiction, ending any NFL dreams that he might have had.

In 2009, Jerod made a major career change.  After a 15-year struggle with drugs and alcohol, Jerod got sober, and began a second career in substance abuse counseling.  He began as a drug and alcohol counselor at WestCare Kentucy, a non-profit substance abuse program located in Ashcamp, KY.  He was later named the Program Director for WestCare, at the Boyle County Detention Center.  Under Jerod's direction and leadership, the Boyle County Detention Center Substance Abuse Program became one of only a few licensed detention center facilities in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.  Jerod was ultimately promoted to Deputy Administrator at WestCare.  He supervised and managed the day-to-day operations at all of the treatment facilities in the state of Kentucky. This included one inpatient treatment center, two prison programs, two day reporting programs, two transitional living programs, two homeless shelters, and a University student assistance program. Jerod currently serves as the President/CEO for the Shepherd’s House, Inc., a non-profit business in Lexington KY.  The Shepherd’s House has several programs: A SAP Prison Program, An IOP Day Reporting Program, and three long term residential and transitional living treatment centers for men.