The Rise and Shocking Fall of Molly Shattuck

Who here doesn't love a feel good story? I think we not only love an absolute feel good story, but we also love the people who are part of said story. However, as much as we love these stories and the people involved, we also become heartbroken when these same people go from heroes to villains, from good to criminal, just flat out turning to the dark side. This was the case regarding Molly Shattuck, and I vividly remember both stories: her feel good story in 2005, and her surprise heel turn in 2014.

Molly Shattuck was born Molly Ann George on February 19, 1967, and after graduating high school in 1985, she attended the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated with a marketing degree. It was in 1997 that Molly married Mayo Shattuck III, the then-CEO of Constellation Energy. It was Molly's first marriage and Mayo's second, and it resulted in three children being born: Spencer, Wyatt, and Lillian. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Molly stated that she had wanted to be a cheerleader since high school, and she would finally get to live that dream in 2005.

That year, Molly tried out for the Baltimore Ravens cheerleading squad and made the cut, making her the oldest cheerleader in NFL history at age 38 (she was eclipsed by Laura Vikmanis, who joined the Cincinnati Bengals squad at age 40). I remember this story, and I was in awe, because while ageism against women had been rampant, one of the biggest examples was in cheerleading. The so-called "perfect" cheerleader image included, among other things, youth, and I've heard stories that the environment was so bad that the age of 30 is even considered "old" in cheerleading. So for a woman at age 38 to be a cheerleader in the NFL? That's just amazing, it was a very wonderful story that I actually remember catching on ESPN and an episode of Inside Edition. Molly spent two seasons as a cheerleader for the Ravens.

Molly Shattuck had been out of the limelight since her time as a cheerleader, but she would make headlines again in 2014...in a shockingly negative way. An arrest for statutory rape. This really surprised me, as this served as an immense fall from grace following her feel good story. The details were as follows: in May of 2014, Spencer (15 years of age at the time) noticed that Molly liked a photo of his friend (also 15) on social media, leading Spencer to tell his friend to contact Molly, adding that "she thinks you're hot." Molly turned heel after meeting Spencer's friend, doing so by actually beginning a sexual relationship that took place throughout the summer. It even included picking him up from school to rendezvous, and inviting him on a family outing (which Mayo wasn't part of) on Labor Day weekend, where Molly and the 15-year-old boy engaged in actual intercourse.

The headmaster at the victim's school found out about the illicit relationship and called police, and afterwards, various text messages and explicit photos were uncovered. Molly was arrested in November of 2014, the same month that her divorce from Mayo was finalized, and she was sentenced to serve 48 weekends in jail. She had long since completed her sentence, but she is forever registered as a sex offender.

Molly Shattuck suffered a very shocking (IMO) fall from grace. I remember that story in 2005, how she became an NFL cheerleader at the age of 38, that was an amazing moment and was a moment of triumph for her. I also remember hearing about Molly's criminal actions, and I was even more shocked at the crime she committed. When you hear stuff like this, the question is always, "What would possess someone to do this?" I honestly don't know. I am just amazed and still surprised that a representation of apparent inspiration suddenly became a villainess and, yes, sex offender. Just absolutely mind boggling.

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