We live in a country that believes in giving someone a second chance. This young man made a terrible mistake when he was 15. This petition is not about ignoring what was done, it is about the fact that he pled guilty, he served his sentence, and he has been rehabilitated. This young man has tried to move forward with his life, but a recent article in the paper has caused his past to put an abrupt halt to his present and his future. He was an early round prospect in the MLB Draft prior to the public learning his story. It is not my place to judge him for his transgressions. I do not condone what he did when he was a 15 year old kid, and it is not my place to forgive him for it. It is all of our places however to allow him to move forward as a man who accepted responsibility for his actions and has done what was required of him to earn his second chance in society. Being a professional athlete is not a right, but being a juvenille convict should also not be an eliminating factor. Professional sports and entertainment are full of people who made mistakes. We can all choose to make an example of this young man. The example we make is yet to be determined. He can be the poster boy for how in America we claim to be forgiving and give second chances, unless the original mistake makes us uncomfortable. Or the example can be that even when it makes us uncomfortable, every single person deserves the chance to succeed. I call on the Texas Rangers, my local team, to give this young man a chance and sign him. Yes, I know there will be blowback, but think of what this young man can accomplish. No one will be more motivated to be a success on the field and off the field. His pitching will help the team, but it is what he can do in the community that could be the biggest benefit. His story puts the light on something many families try to hide in the dark. He can be the catalyst that leads other victims to come forward. He could also be the voice some confused teen hears that stops him from doing something similar. The Rangers have been central to the redemption stories recently of Josh Hamilton and Matt Bush. The risks were far less in those cases, but they were both flawed young men who made mistakes they paid a price for. But the second chance they needed and took advantage of in Texas led to baseball success, as well as life success. Let's hope that Luke Heimlich can be the next story that has a positive ending.