Chancellor Lee Adams, the son of former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Rae Carruth, will graduate from Z.B. Vance High School on June 5 in Charlotte, NC. The 21-year-old Chancellor Adams has battled brain damage and cerebral palsy as a result of the murder of his mother and the failed attempt to kill him. The heinous crime was commissioned by his father, a former NFL star.
Carruth reportedly hired three men to kill Cherica Adams and her unborn son on Nov. 16, 1999. Adam was able to make a 911 call after the shooting and detail the incident to authorities before falling into a coma and succumbing to her injuries on Dec. 14, 1999. Carruth, a first-round pick of the Panthers in 1997, was convicted and served 19 years in prison. He was released in 2018 and currently lives in Pennsylvania.
Saundra Adams, Cherica’s mother, has raised her grandson since birth who requires a live-in caregiver. “He’s really worked hard. He’s been on the A/B honor roll a lot. I’m just so proud, so I may be a little loud,” Saundra Adams told the Charlotte Observer.
“I have seen Chancellor’s determination, how he persists through things, his resilience in overcoming so many of the odds. I just couldn’t be prouder because Chancellor Lee really has earned all the accolades and credits that he’s receiving because he put in a lot of really hard work,” she told WBTV News.
Saundra Adams also revealed that Carruth doesn’t have a relationship with her grandson, but hoped the news surrounding Chancellor graduating throughout social media would make him smile.
“With the announcement on social media that Chancellor Lee is graduating, I hope that it will also spark some pride inside Ray Carruth and he’ll be excited about his son’s accomplishments because he truly has accomplished a lot reaching this milestone. And as always, I’m still open. Maybe we can have some communication.”
Check out the video coverage of Chancellor’s growth and achievements on the following page from WBTV News.
