The University of Tennessee has signed a football player who was involved in the rape and kidnapping of a 14-year-old female relative six years ago.

Daniel Hood, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound defensive end from Knoxville Catholic High, was only 13 when the incident occurred, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel. A 17-year-old accomplice was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Hood was tried as a juvenile and found to be delinquent by a jury "on the basis that he had committed the adult offenses of kidnapping and aggravated rape," according to court records. Hood was placed in state custody until he was 17.

Now 19, Hood became a standout football player and was an honors student at Catholic High, according to Tennessee officials. His principal, Dickie Sompayrak, and assistant principal Stan Branson, vouch for Hood's character.

"We didn't go about this lightly," Tennessee first-year coach coach Lane Kiffin said in a statement Tuesday. "We spent a lot of time researching the issue and talking to a lot of people who are well-respected in the community. Everyone spoke very highly of Daniel. He's a very bright young man who wants to move past this incident and be a good representative for the team, the university and the community."

Hood told the News Sentinel, which first reported the story, that he's tried to learn from the crime.

"I had a good friend tell me I should go as far west as possible," Hood told the newspaper. "But I don't think that it's a situation that I should try to avoid. It was heinous. It was awful. Any bad thing you could say about it would probably fit it. But I think it's not trying to put it in a corner and forget it ever happened. I think you have to take it and learn from it and grow from it...I've got a debt to (the victim) that I can never repay, just trying to throw it away like it never happened would be the worst thing I could do for her."

Tennessee received a letter of support for Hood from the victim.

"He is becoming a very mature adult and will be a great asset to any college and to society as a whole," the letter read.

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