San Francisco 49ers Linebacker, Dre Greenlaw’s Path From A Divided Family To Being Adopted By Brian And Nanci Early

Dre Greenlaw praised his parents, who took him in as a foster child needing a home and later adopted him.

Thursday, December 12, 2024, marked the highly-anticipated return to the field for San Francisco 49ers’ star linebacker Dre Greenlaw.

Greenlaw suffered a torn Achilles in last year’s Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs and has missed the first 13 weeks of the 2024 NFL season.

It didn’t take long for Greenlaw to return to form. In the first half, the former Arkansas Razorback recorded eight tackles to lead the 49ers and help limit the Los Angeles Rams to only three points.

However, his season debut was cut short. Greenlaw spent most of the second half on the sideline.

Following the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed why Greenlaw didn’t return to the field down the stretch against the Rams.

Shanahan said Greenlaw was dealing with fatigue and soreness due to his Achilles injury.

With Greenlaw sidelined, the 49ers turned to De’Vondre Campbell in the second half. However, according to Shanahan, the veteran linebacker refused to enter the game.

Campbell instead exited the game to the locker room and left the sideline during Thursday Night Football.

Brian And Nanci Early Became Dre Greenlaw’s Official Adoptive Parents When He Turned 21

San Francisco 49ers Linebacker Dre Greenlaw, 27, was born on May 25, 1997, in Conway, Arkansas, United States.

Dre initially lived with his biological parents and all eleven of his siblings. However, his parents eventually divorced, splitting up Dre’s siblings.

The father cared for five siblings, while the mother cared for seven children, including Dre.

Dre, his six siblings, and his mother never had a permanent home. They moved from house to house to keep a roof over their heads, even if it meant relying on friends to bring them into their homes. 

Happy birthday, Dre Greenlaw!

His career stats:

• 5 seasons (62 games)
• 446 tackles, 18 TFL
• 14 PD, 3 INTs, 2 TDs
• 9 QB hits, 3.5 sacks
• 2 FF, 2 FR pic.twitter.com/JNHn2IqWGo

— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) May 25, 2024

His mother struggled with alcoholism, and the Department of Human Services declared his mother unfit to provide for her family and terminated her rights as Dre’s mother.

This started Dre’s journey of bouncing around in foster care all over Arkansas. At 13, he started playing football for Ramay Junior High School.

At 14, Dre met his adoptive father, Brian Early, the defensive coach at Fayetteville High, while Greenlaw was getting treatment for an injury he suffered in football practice.

After learning about Dre’s situation, Brian and his wife, Nanci Early, started spending more time with him, and soon, he became like a son.

When they were informed that his foster care home would be shut down, they invited Dre to live with them and made his adoption official shortly after he turned 21. Brian said,

Despite finally being in a stable home with a stable family, it took Dre a while to adjust to his new lifestyle.

They decide to have a movie night on the first night of officially living.

Brian described how he looked over at his young daughters interacting with Dre in the middle of the movie, who remembers their fascination with “seeing Black hair for the first time.”

With the daughters’ arms around Dre, they would get along just fine with their new brother.

Brian and Nanci had to teach him in his new home that it was okay to go into the pantry and eat whenever he was hungry or take as many portions as he liked.

Additional Information

• Ke’Aundre J’Quan “Dre” Greenlaw has an estimated net worth of around $3 million as of 2024.
• Greenlaw’s fiance, Mikaela Gallagher, was on hand to cheer him at Super Bowl 2024.
• He attended Fayetteville Public Schools and played for the Fayetteville High School football team, which won the Class 7A 2011 state championship.