A North Texas teenager who barely survived after he was shot last October surprised many by marking a major milestone Thursday night: playing football again.
Corey Dooley, 16, played for South Grand Prairie High School in a game against Dallas Skyline.
"Football is my everything,” he said before the game. “It's all I want to do."
His mother, Nicole Rishard, said she can’t believe how far he’s come.
"Thinking about what happened, it's amazing to see him back out there,” she said.
Last October, the two were allegedly shot by Rishard’s estranged husband, Richard Richard, who is now in jail awaiting trial.
Dooley was shot in his chest, back, hip and stomach.
Doctors gave him just a 30 percent chance of surviving. But after nearly three weeks in the hospital, he beat the odds.
"A couple months ago, I couldn't even walk,” he said. “And now I'm out here running full speed routes by the grace of God."
His coach, Brent Whitson, marvels at his progress.
"I saw him in rehab at 97 pounds. Six-foot-one, 97 pounds,” Whitson said. “And today he's back at 160 [pounds]. He's almost 100 percent from the standpoint of speed and strength and still has that great smile."
Dooley said football means everything to him, and he dreams of one day playing in the NFL.
“This is what I love,” he said. “This is what I want to do when I get older.”
His mother and other family members, including his father, NBC 5 photographer C.J. Johnson, rooted him on from the stands.
“Wow, wow,” his mother said. “I can't believe I'm back here in the stands watching him out there on the field suited up, playing football again."
