Not every first-round pick will appreciate his rookie contract the way Starks will. For a three-year period when he was in elementary school, his family lived between hotels and family members.
His parents, Larry and Tisha, are hardworking people who eventually achieved financial stability, but along the way the journey was difficult. Jefferson is a small town with a population of about 18,000, one of those places where it seems everybody knows everybody. But few people knew the hardships that Starks’ family was facing until he shared his story years later.
“When everything first started happening, we went to a hotel for a week,” Starks said. “After that, we’d go stay with family and friends. When we moved out of the hotel the first time, it hit me and my sister. We don’t have a place to call home.”
Those were trying times, but watching his parents work multiple jobs, never give up, and never abandon their Christian faith taught Starks valuable lessons. He believes he can rise above challenges on the gridiron, partly because his family persevered. There is a gospel song entitled, “Trouble Don’t Last Always.” For Starks, those words ring true.
“I didn’t want to lose my cousin,” Starks said. “I didn’t want to worry about, ‘What are we going to eat tonight? Where are we going to live next?’
“But those experiences helped make me who I am. So, in a way, I’m super grateful.”