Life After Prison
Aikens served his prison sentence in a United States Penitentiary located in Atlanta, Georgia, and was scheduled to be released in 2012. He was released on June 4, 2008, three months after congress approved new guidelines in the federal drug laws and made them retroactive. Hal McRae, the only former Royals teammate with whom Aikens corresponded with while in prison, set Aikens up with a job in road construction, working in manholes.
Since his release, Aikens has spoken at schools about his experiences and to the Royals' young players, always hoping to return to baseball. In November 2008, apologized to Royals fans and the people of Kansas City in the Kansas City Star.
On February 1, 2011, the Royals announced that they had hired Aikens as a minor league coach who will be based at the franchise's complex at Surprise, Arizona. The employment was delayed when his wife, Sara, suffered a stroke, believed to have been a complication of lupus. Aikens has three daughters: Nicole and Sarita with Sara, and Lucia from a previous relationship.
Read more about this topic: Willie Aikens
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