Editor's Note: This article contains descriptions of an attempted sex assault.
Justin Herron takes a walk on a beautiful Saturday morning in March. He can't lift or run because his body is exhausted from the hard work he does at LeCharles Bentley's offensive line camp in Chandler, Arizona. Herron is a person who never stops moving and keeps going. Herron doesn't have many days off. A walk or a run are the best that he can do.
Herron played six games last year for the New England Patriots after he was selected in the sixth round by the Pats. He had a strong Wake Forest career. He knows he will be competing for playing time this year, as he started the 2021 season behind Trent Brown and Isaiah Wynn as a swing man on the line. So he is determined to get the most of every day of the offseason.
For Herron, Kiwanis Park is the ideal place to go on sore days. It is a peaceful place that can be enjoyed by anyone. There are enough people there to make you feel safe, but also the sports fields, trees and the lake at the center of the park.
Herron is walking along the path at 11 a.m., enjoying the beautiful spring day with mid-70s temperatures and sun when he hears someone shouting. Although he can't understand the words or the source, Herron pulls out his headphones and begins to scan the park. He eventually finds a woman and a man about 75 yards away.
Although he's not certain what he's seeing, his eyes lock with the woman. Herron takes a long pause as he recounts the story. He says, "There was a time that I didn't want to go into." "It was only one moment that I saw how terrible it was, but it's not something I want to talk about. It's private.
He knows that his walk is finished in that moment. It is time to run.
Herron waited anxiously for the results of the vote to be named team captain in 2018, just before Wake Forest's 2018 spring football season. Redshirt junior offensive lineman for Demon Deacons. He was certain he had done everything right. He'd been a professional player his whole career, spent countless hours filming, and chosen to double major in communication and psychology. His teammates had seen him progress from a late-bloomer at high school to a reliable, All ACC-level tackle. He would be proud to have been named one of the best leaders in his team if he could make this next step.
However, Herron's team voted for six other players. This included two offensive linemen who were not named Justin Herron.
It tore at him. It was hard for him to comprehend what his teammates saw in him. Herron was unable to understand why his teammates didn't see him as a leader for a week. He finally met Dave Clawson, the head coach. Herron stated, "Coach," he said. "I get there early. I have seen more films than anyone. I can do everything right. Why wasn't I elected to be a captain? What can I do?
"Justin, you do do everything right," Clawson told him. We always see you doing more work. You are a formidable competitor and a great player. Football is a team sport. Set a good example for your teammates and invite them along.
Herron saw that Clawson was correct. Although he was an excellent player to have in the line-up, he was not a giver. He was a highly talented player (all five of his starters went on to the NFL), and he was very competitive at Wake. He tended to be quite private. He was a great exerciser and film student. Clawson explained to him that the greatest leaders, the most respected people, weren't just a handful of talents. They also knew how to inspire others. Herron said, "That changed my life."
Herron learned to be selfless at Wake Forest for the sake the team. He says it was a lesson that he has carried with him throughout his life. AP Photo/Michael Dwyer
He set out to make the 2018 season a better one. Although he had never been selfless, he was determined to be more selfless in 2018. He began mentoring the men who were competing for his job in August. Wake's season began away from Tulane. Coaches were beginning to notice a new Herron. Herron was injured in the first game and was forced to miss the rest of the season. The coaches weren't sure what Herron would do. Clawson states that everyone sulks after a season-ending injury.
Herron started showing up to every practice, meeting, and film session a week after his surgery. He began to produce weekly breakdowns of his opponents that he typed up for his teammates. Herron was a popular choice for younger linemen, and he became an unofficial assistant coach.
Herron was considering leaving Wake for the NFL draft after that year, but he had already graduated. He returned to Wake for his final season as a grad student in 2019 and won the Deacon House of Pancakes award (DHOP), for most wipeout blocks. He got the call that he was most excited about in the months before his final year. Clawson said, "Congratulations Justin." "Your teammates have chosen you as a team captain."
Herron thought back to the year-old gut punch and the positive results. Herron said, "I have applied that to every aspect of my life since then." It's certainly paid off."
On that March morning at Kiwanis Park she felt a push in her back and heard a man tell her to quiet down. Then she started screaming. She screams endlessly, but no one hears her. She can see people around her -- 10 to 20 bystanders are visible in her peripheral vision -- but her screams seem faint enough that they are not heard far away.
Then she makes eye contact and smiles at her angel. The woman who wanted to remain anonymous agreed to an interview with ESPN to discuss Herron's involvement. He wouldn't have known that the man was carrying a weapon. He did it all by himself. Justin is the reason I have hope for my whole life. He is my hero.
The former elementary school teacher went for walks almost every day since she retired several years ago. Although she loved her job, it was hard work for her over 39 years of teaching different grades. The fifth grade was her favorite year of her career. These were her ideal age group, old enough to have meaningful conversations with her but still young enough to be children.
She often dreamed of retiring one day and living in peace, surrounded by parks and walking. She had spent the majority of her life in Tempe, visiting her daughter who lives there, and sometimes travelling to Texas where her other daughter is a doctor. She made it a point to walk every day, and she built a small group of dogsitters, joggers, and park walkers. She says that walks were her treat after she quit teaching.
She wakes up that morning shaken from a disturbed start to her outing. A soccer match was put on hold while a player in distress lay on the field. As worried teammates gather around, first responders rush to save the man. She cannot hear what they are saying. The man is fighting for his life and she can feel it in her gut. She weeps and prays for the man before she turns her back. The man was up and she exhaled. He seems to be fine and is taken off in an ambulance.
A few minutes later, she is still thinking about the soccer player when a man approaches her from behind and attacks. Although she doesn't know how much time she fights and screams, it feels like forever. She says, "Time went so slowly," now.
This is when her eyes meet with another man, just a few feet away. Herron says "I saw her" and then his words slow down. "And she saw my face. And... And...I think... It was almost as if we made eye contact when I arrived. The situation descended quickly, and it ended ..."
Herron remains silent for a moment, then he finishes his sentence. He says, "Right after the eyes contact."
Herron can recall making the decision to run but not actually running. He suddenly finds himself right next to Kevin Caballero, a homeless local man. Herron grabs Caballero's 8.88-inch hands and drives him into a pile. Caballero attempts to get back on his feet, but Herron is making loud sounds that he cannot believe are coming from inside him. Even to Caballero, Herron's voice is terrifying and guttural. Herron shouts, "Don't move!"
Murry Rogers appears around that time. Murry Rogers was 30 yards away from him, making preparations for his teenage daughter's party. He had been filling coolers with ice and balloons when he heard the screaming. He says, "I didn’t think it was what was.” He begins to sprint towards Herron when he spots him and arrives just a few seconds later.
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Caballero insists that the woman initiated the attack, as Herron comforts her. Caballero later confesses to believing that the woman telepathically spoke to him, and she told him she wanted to have sexual relations. He confesses to pushing her down, and trying to sexually assault her. Herron finally tells the woman that he doesn't need to listen anymore. They walk away from Rogers, who is standing guard with Caballero.
Rogers is holding Caballero's hand. The woman shouts "Don't let him loose!" "Don't let him go," she said. Caballero continues to murmur, mostly incoherently, but doesn't move. Herron said that Caballero knew that he was in trouble if he ran from the man.
Within a matter of minutes, police arrive and take Caballero. He was eventually charged with attempted sexual assault, kidnapping and other charges. His public defender, who did not return calls from ESPN, argued that Caballero was innocent of any felony conviction and that he had been taking his mental health medication. The court granted Caballero custody with a relative. The trial is set for sometime in the fall.
Herron does his best for the woman, while detectives interview witnesses and police cars pull away. After one more hug from Rogers and Herron, she is loaded in an ambulance and driven away.
Rogers and Herron watch her as she drives away. Then they are the last people standing in the park staring at each others as people pass by, unaware that a sexual assault was prevented half an hour earlier.
"It's just...over now" Rogers tells Herron.
Herron replies, "I suppose so."
Rogers returns to setting up the daughter's birthday party. Rogers is soon joined by guests who begin to arrive. Rogers cannot help but think about how something can happen, whether it's something bad or something traumatic.
Herron is leaving the park when he calls his mother to tell her. He tells his mom, "You're never going be able to believe this." "I saved this woman's life from being raped in a park."
"What if the man had a gun? What if he had a knife?" She asks. Herron lies and tells her that he knew immediately that Caballero didn’t have weapons. But he didn't know. He knew that he had to run.
A few days after the attack, Herron & Rogers were contacted to ask if they would be willing to return to Tempe Town Hall for a ceremony to recognize their good deeds. Although she was informed, the woman was not expected to attend.
Rogers and Herron arrived in a packed hallway with Tempe police officers and commissioners. Outside, there were cameras. They chatted with everyone, and the conversation continued about football. While most of those present were Cardinals fans (though a few Patriots fans made sure to remind everyone of the huge difference in success between them), the majority of people present were Cardinals supporters. Everyone laughed.
In March, Herron and Murry Rodgers were honored in Tempe. They were also surprised by a visit by the woman he saved. She came to say thank you in person. Mark Henle/The Republic via Imagn Content Services
The group then went quiet. The retired schoolteacher turned the corner and began to approach her daughter. The two walked side by side for a while, but then the mom moved ahead a few steps. She says, "I wanted hug my angels."
It began with Herron and the teacher colliding at low speed. They both cut off one arm each to make room for Rogers. They all bowed their heads and exchanged almost no words. They hugged and cried and soon all the old, grizzled cops started to look at them.
A minute later, the small huddle burst into a small conversation. Herron informed Rogers and the woman that they would be going to a Patriots match this fall. Herron says, "For sure that's a given," and he will be taking snaps at right tackle while Trent Brown, the starter, deals with a calf injury. It is impossible that this isn't going to happen. This is a lasting relationship. We will undoubtedly cross paths again some day. It's not clear when. It will be a great reunion."
It was now time to address the media outside. Rogers and Herron waved good-bye, and the daughter of the woman gave them each a thank you letter she had written. Herron wanted to open his note, but he was too busy and he walked out of the building.
As he reached the door, Herron looked back at the woman he had saved. Herron smiled and waved goodbye to her as he walked off. She was still watching him all the time. He was delighted to see her arrive that morning.
She had to leave, but the truth is that she was forced to. In the weeks following the attack, she said that the only image that came to her mind was her attacker's face. She had to look at Rogers and Herron that morning. She says, "I wanted to absorb their faces." "I didn’t want to see that man’s face the rest of my lifetime. Now I can. I see Justin and Murry when I look back. Their faces will be with me forever."
