Burbank’s Linda Comes Through Off and On Field

Robert Linda’s story of redemption is why high school coaches are reluctant to give up on a teenager no matter how bleak a situation appears.

Just days before he was scheduled to graduate from middle school, Linda was arrested on suspicion of selling marijuana on campus. Several months later, he was sent to juvenile hall on an assault with a deadly weapon charge when he used a crutch in a gang fight.

With his life spiraling out of control, Linda was running out of options. Enter Burbank football Coach Greg Sobiech, who had seen Linda play youth football and was dumbfounded by his troubles.

“We were looking forward to getting him as a ninth-grader, but it turned out he was in jail,” Sobiech said. “He had a history of being involved with gangs. The more I found out, the more it became clear he was getting caught up with people who didn’t have his best interests at heart.”

What motivated Sobiech to press on was Linda’s strong academic credentials that indicated he wasn’t a lost cause.

Sobiech appealed to the deputy district attorney in charge of Linda’s case and made it clear that he would accept responsibility for Linda, providing guidance and discipline.

“By the grace of God, the judge looked at me and said, ‘I’m going to give this kid a chance and if he ever shows up in my court again, you’ll never see him again,’ ” Sobiech recalled.

Three years later, Linda is a changed teenager. He has a 3.3 grade-point average, is an all-league football and basketball player, serves as football team captain and aspires to be a firefighter.

“I’ve had friends ask me, ‘How did you go from where you were to now?’ ” Linda said. “I told them, ‘It’s all about who you hang out with and who you surround yourself with.’ ”

Linda, 6 feet 2 1/2 and 215 pounds, has been kept so busy with sports and school that he has had little free time to focus on anything else.

“If it weren’t for sports, I don’t know where I’d be,” he said. “Playing football and basketball has kept me out of trouble. This is what I want.”

Linda is an exceptional 17-year-old senior, with speed, power and strength. As a sophomore, he was a top receiver. As a junior, he was asked to play quarterback because Burbank didn’t have one, and he responded with 211 yards passing against Southern Section Division II champion Canyon Country Canyon, 119 yards rushing against Division II runner-up Newhall Hart and a 51-yard field goal in another game. Last week, he had a 55-yard touchdown pass in Burbank’s season-opening victory over Santa Clarita Golden Valley.

All the while, he has been subjected to ongoing probation for his past misconduct. He remembers the stares and questions when he was wearing an ankle bracelet during summer football practice as a sophomore because he was under house detention, his movements restricted and monitored.

“It was horrible, staying in your room all day or house all day,” he said. “It feels like you’re still in trouble or being in jail.”

Why Linda, with all his athletic talent, leadership skills and strong academic background, was unable to differentiate between right and wrong remains a mystery. Linda’s older brother had trouble with the law, but his mother, Anna, said she was shocked when the phone rang one day with the news that the third of her five children had been arrested.

“It was very devastating,” she said. “I couldn’t understand. You go to bed and wish it was just a bad dream. But it happened, and he went through some tough moments.”

Said Linda: “It’s one of those things you think you’re not going to be caught.”

Linda said being locked up left him with time to ponder his future.

“About the second week I was in there, I realized this is not something I want to do,” he said. “This is not the people I want to hang around with.”

Sobiech’s intervention and support was critical in Linda’s transformation.

“He stuck his hand in the fire for me,” Linda said. “He really trusted me.”

The Burbank probation officer monitoring Linda, Louis Dubois, said there are many people pulling for him.

“I told him the other day, ‘Robert, I have a lot of faith in you. Don’t let me down,’ ” Dubois said. “I honestly believe he’s a changed individual.”

Linda has an opportunity to earn a college scholarship as a strong safety.

Early next year, Linda’s multiple years of court-ordered probation could be terminated because of his good behavior.

“I hope to God everything from now is positive,” his mother said. “He has put in so much effort to be a positive person.”

Linda doesn’t need a piece of paper to tell him he has changed.

“I was quick-tempered, not really angry, but if someone looked at me wrong, I’d say, ‘What are you looking at?’ Now I’d walk away,” he said.

Thanks to a coach who cared and a teenager who finally recognized right from wrong, Burbank has a success story that makes everyone proud.

Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.