Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard claims he is a "second-chance guy" when it comes to why the team chose running back Seth McGowan in the 2026 NFL draft. McGowan had some legal battles in the past, but Indy is taking a risk that he won't be an issue in the future.
Maybe he won't be. McGowan's issues stemmed from a 2021 situation when he was arrested for entering an apartment in Norman, Oklahoma (he was playing football at the University of Oklahoma at the time) with two of his teammates, one of whom had a gun, and stealing items, including drugs and jewelry. McGowan pleaded to felony larceny of a person at nighttime.
After the incident, the Sooners let McGowan go. He didn't play football for a year, ended up at an NAIA school where he never played a game, but eventually landed at New Mexico State and then Kentucky. In 2025, he ran for 725 yards and 12 touchdowns, which impressed Chris Ballard enough for Indianapolis to draft him.
Chris Ballard drops why the Indianapolis Colts took a chance on drafting Seth McGowan
A lot can change in five years, and this article is in no way a diatribe about the life of Seth McGowan and the mistake he made in April 2021. One would have to know McGowan well to judge how much he has changed since his felony arrest.
Ballard is sold on the running back's change, however. Besides the GM offering that he understands the decency of giving people second chances in his post-draft press conference, Ballard answered a fundamental question, but one that the Colts aren't truly the ones to answer.
Ballard said, "How long do you keep punishing (McGowan for his crime)?... He's had a good track record. (I) feel good about who he is as a...You learn your lesson, you make a mistake, pay the price for it, and you move on."
As for how long a person needs to keep being punished is irrelevant when it comes to Seth McGowan and the Indianapolis Colts. Indy has never punished the running back, but simply rewarded the player with an NFL contract for his skill set and in the hopes that he can help the team win football games.
As for McGowan, he has stated how much he regrets the night he was arrested, and how he has changed his approach to life and learned from the mistake. He appears to understand how fortunate he is not to be jailed for a long period of time and to have completely missed out on a chance to play professional football.
For Colts fans, the hope is that Seth McGowan is a fine player, of course, but that he is an even better person off the field. In that scenario, everyone is a winner.
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