Terry LeCount, a former NFL wide receiver and paraprofessional at Oakhurst Elementary, tells his story about being stopped by Decatur Police. LeCount and other residents gathered on March 30 to discuss how to deal with perceived racial profiling by police officers. Photo by Dan Whisenhunt

This story has been updated. 

A former NFL wide receiver left his job at Oakhurst Elementary to take a job at the College Football Hall of Fame.

Terry LeCount is a former NFL wide receiver. He worked as a paraprofessional at Oakhurst Elementary. According to the agenda posted for the Aug. 12 City Schools of Decatur Board of Education meeting, LeCount has left the school. His last day was May 30, 2014.

The Hall of Fame, located on Marietta Street in Atlanta, will open later this month.

LeCount played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Minnesota Vikings. He was also named a Decatur Hometown Hero in 2010 for his work with kids in Decatur.

LeCount was also in the news this year for a different reason. He was one of several men who claimed to have been racially profiled by Decatur Police.

During a community meeting held on March 30, LeCount and other black men described their treatment by Decatur Police officers.

LeCount said during that meeting he was stopped by an officer while walking near Agnes Scott. The officer told him he “fit the description of somebody,” LeCount said.

LeCount assumed most people know who he is.

“I would think since I’ve been here for so long, most people if you see me, you would know me,” he said. “They know me for the things that I do. I work with kindergarteners. Most people know me as the guy that works with the little bitty kids.”

Former City Schools of Decatur Board of Education member Don Denard first brought allegations about racial profiling to the Decatur City Commission’s attention in January, which touched off a lengthy community discussion about the issue. An internal police department investigation cleared the officer involved.

City leaders responded by putting $25,000 in the budget to address concerns about racial profiling, but there’s been no formal announcement about what the city intends to do. Denard, representing the newly-formed Decatur Community Coalition, made several recommendations during a City Commission meeting in April.

Editor’s note: Several Oakhurst readers objected to my original headline. It’s normally not my practice to change headlines based on isolated criticism. However, several readers made some very valid points about why the original headline could be construed as misleading. That was certainly not my intent, and headline writing is not an exact science. But we are accountable to our readers, and they made a good case for changing the headline. So I did. If you want to take me to task for my original headline, please submit a letter to the editor to [email protected]. 

[adsanity id=16295 align=aligncenter /]