By Katie Klingsporn, associate editor
Daily Planet
Telluride, Colo. -In 1967, 12-year-old Victor Rivers went to the police. He disrobed to show officers the cuts, bruises, welts and burns that tracked over his back, arms, stomach and legs. And he told them of the horrific abuse inflicted upon him, his siblings and his mother by his father, a terrifying and unpredictable man.

The officers were concerned, but told the boy there was little they could do. It was a “private family matter,” they said.

The boy sunk into a life of trouble and gangs, but three years later, with intervention and support of family, friends and teachers, the boy took unprecedented legal action to get out of his father’s abuse and into foster care.

Rivers went on to go to college on a full football scholarship, and in 1978, the Cuban-American was a free agent draft pick with the Miami Dolphins. This was followed by an acting career: He appeared in “The Mask of Zorro” and “The Distinguished Gentleman,” and is probably best known for his portrayal of Magic Mike in the cult classic “Blood In/Blood Out.”

Telluride Daliy Planet