FOXBORO — The jersey symbolizes a fulfilled promise. The Patriots logo on each navy sleeve, and large, white No. 35 on the chest and back, signify a realized dream after a years-long mission in the honor of its tenant’s late father.

The jersey cloaks a man who represents even more. A boy who grew up too soon. A teenager who could have lost his way when life was cruelly caving in from every direction. A role model whose ever-growing presence in the community is inspiring other young souls who could just as easily tumble off course.

Undrafted rookie cornerback Cre’von LeBlanc out of Florida Atlantic Unversity watched his father die and his older brother get sentenced to life in prison. His mother, Lawanda LeBlanc, had to surround him with strong male authorities so he could do right by his family.

“Let me tell you an inspirational story,” mentor Gilbert Grantlin said. “That’s the inspirational story of the year right there.”

The promise

Cre’von LeBlanc was never supposed to don his Patriots practice jersey for the first time three weeks ago, and the reason predates the series of adversarial episodes that would have swallowed many other teenagers. Lawanda’s pregnancy with her second son was rocked by a nightmare, as doctors feared a terrible outcome due to a medical complication. Her doctors recommended a termination because they believed Cre’von would be born with severe birth defects.

“Our ministry prayed extensively,” said Bishop Harold Ray of Redemptive Life Fellowship in West Palm Beach, Fla. “My wife and I prayed extensively for Lawanda when she was carrying him. We stood together in faith that the baby would be OK.”

Divine intervention or otherwise, the scare was unfounded, and LeBlanc progressed just fine through childhood. He was the model kid, according to those in his corner who point to his list of eighth-grade goals that included an NFL dream and a mission to respect his parents and elders and to remain strong in his faith.

He was also like everyone else who grew up in Muck City, where kids turned to sports if they didn’t want to work in the sugar mills or become a teacher. The football players from the area — Fred Taylor, Santonio Holmes, Kelvin Benjamin, Janoris Jenkins, to name a few — have developed a reputation for being the fastest in their sport because they’d disappear into the towering cane fields to chase rabbits for hours on end.

As a freshman at Glades Central, LeBlanc promised his father, Craig LeBlanc Sr., he’d graduate from college and get to the NFL. It wasn’t an empty childhood fairy tale, though. Cre’von really wanted his father to know he raised a good son who would create an honest living for his family, and that was the impetus for the assurance.

But the potential was numbed by pain on March 14, 2010, during Cre’Von’s sophomore year. The 15-year-old was in the backseat of his parents’ car as they drove to Orlando for Lawanda’s birthday when 44-year-old Craig Sr. died of a heart attack in the passenger seat. Cre’von’s hero was gone.

“Watching his dad die right in front of his eyes,” Lawanda said, “I couldn’t imagine what he was thinking, what was going through his mind.”

LeBlanc only had one concern. With Cre’von’s older brother, Craig Jr., serving a three-year gun charge at the time, it was time to take over as the man of the house.

“Seeing your mom going through that, you just want to be strong for her,” LeBlanc said. “I just wanted to put everything on my shoulders at the end of the day.”

It takes a village

Lawanda knew she could tote Cre’von to football camps, help with school and keep him dedicated to the Bible, but she recognized she couldn’t teach him to be a man. So she called on Glades Central head coach Jessie Hester, assistant coach Gregory Moreland, Grantlin and Bishop Ray to fill the void.

It was a communal effort, and all four brought something different. Hester and Moreland taught LeBlanc how to be a leader. Bishop Ray gave him spiritual guidance. And Grantlin, a Muck City Legend who has become a trainer, added real-life advice as LeBlanc’s closest male confidant.

But LeBlanc’s journey wasn’t perfect. How could it be? The circumstances grew more challenging in 2011 when Craig Jr.’s short stint as a free man abruptly ended. He shot a man to death outside of a nightclub and was sentenced to life in 2014.

Like many little brothers, Cre’von grew up chasing around Craig Jr., who was considered the best athlete in the family. And even in Craig Jr.’s run-ins with the law, the LeBlanc family friends vouched that he worked to keep Cre’von away from those habits.

Still, Grantlin noticed a trend after Craig Jr.’s last arrest, and he gave Cre’von one heck of a wakeup call when his workouts dipped and he showed up to the gym one day with gold teeth. See, Grantlin was a star athlete in his day, qualifying for the Olympic trials as a senior in high school before he slipped with drugs and drinking, thinking he was invincible because he was viewed as one of the fastest kids in the country. Remember the cane fields? Grantlin says he once caught an astounding 64 rabbits in a single day, so he had the combination of street cred and a national spotlight that endeared him to his peers until he was convicted on a drug conspiracy charge that led to a 10-year federal prison sentence.

He wouldn’t let Cre’von similarly screw up his own path.

“(Cre’von) told me a little story,” Grantlin said. “He went in the nightclub when his brother went to jail a week or two weeks after. Some kid that was going through it with his brother pulled up a gun in the nightclub, pointed it at Cre’von and pulled the trigger, but it got jammed. When Cre’von had seen it, he ran. The gun got unjammed, and the guy shot anyway, but Cre’von was gone. He got away from it. But he came in there telling me that story like, ‘Yeah buddy, he tried to get me,’ like it was all exciting, like it was something to brag about. I told him, ‘Listen man, these are the choices you have. I’m going to tell you the path that I took.

“‘I’m going to tell you this because I owe you this. You can’t take that road because you’re not ready. And I’m not saying that I’m badder than you or whatever. You don’t know what you’re facing. You’re trying to deal with a lifestyle that you’re not accustomed to. To live that lifestyle, you had your mom and your dad pull you away from that, and that was a great thing. You never came up to that. You just saw your brother do what he did. That’s not for you.

“‘If you ever get in trouble and you go to prison, guess what, you’re somebody’s girlfriend because you’re pretty. You understand me?’ I gave it to him 100. ‘You’re pretty. Your mentality isn’t up to date. You’re not ready. You’re not street enough. You’re not hood enough. All of that accounts for everything in prison. So that’s not the choice you’re going to make.’”

LeBlanc’s eyes widened. He ditched the gold teeth and again set the bar as Glades Central’s hardest worker.

Do it for Dad

LeBlanc dedicated his junior season to his father, whom he honored by ripping up a patch of grass and wiping it across his chest. The highlight, as his coaches have continued to gush over, occurred when LeBlanc soared over a 6-foot-4 receiver to make a one-handed interception. Oh, and that hand was heavily wrapped to protect a hairline fracture.

Then there were the regional finals of a 7-on-7 tournament at Sun Life Stadium, which Hester nearly forfeited as they trailed by 5 points in the fourth quarter because his only eight players were cramping up. LeBlanc urged Hester to change his mind, scored the go-ahead touchdown and made a diving pass breakup in the end zone to secure the victory. They later won the national title in Minnesota.

“That was one heck of a feat that I will never forget,” Hester said. “He looked in my eyes and said, ‘Coach, we got this.’ And he delivered.”

LeBlanc planned to go to LSU before another issue arose during his senior year. He was among four Glades Central football players to get suspended for an alleged sexual encounter with a girl in a school bathroom. Despite an absence of any charges, LeBlanc’s college scholarships were pulled.

“From that point on, it kind of put perspective on his life,” Lawanda said.

That’s when LeBlanc determined to be accountable for every single one of his actions, and he kept away from any potentially precarious situations, particularly when others could seize control of his fate.

LeBlanc instead attended Florida Atlantic, which is essentially his hometown university. Most importantly, it kept him close with his support system, and he began to give back in his own way, as Bishop Ray noted LeBlanc’s “strong reputation” for community work. LeBlanc often visited with Grantlin or Moreland to train younger athletes or teach them about life, even some nights after his games at FAU. He also returned to Glades Central in 2013 to give a speech to that senior class during a sports awards banquet.

“The kids always gravitate toward Cre’von,” Grantlin said. “You know why? Because he worked. Kids want to hear from a kid who overcame his trouble. He’s going to be a big influence on a lot of kids’ lives for years to come.”

Now in Foxboro, Lawanda notes he is still a “mama’s boy,” and they pray together every night over Facetime.

Every morning, a fresh practice jersey awaits Cre’von at Gillette Stadium. He slips that promise over his head and puts his family on his back. Just like he always said he would.