Given that this kid was shot by three guys in Philly who jumped out of a vehicle to attack him, I have the feeling that the problem is 'family/friends' related at best and at worst suspected direct involvement or association with a gang. Some of these guys grow up in rough neighborhoods and I get that sometimes to survive you make friends with not so great people but you can't bring those not so great people with you when you leave and if you get a chance to leave, you leave that life behind (and contrary to Hollywood portrayals you can leave it). More than one talented young man in more than one field has learned the hard way that you have to choose between worlds.
I truly feel sorry for him if it's due to relatives or friends that he has been unable to cut out of his life because that's a rock and a hard place but as badly as we need help at TE there's no way we turn him down as a walk-on without good reason. Fulmer went into more than one bad neighborhood and brought in kids he felt could break away from bad situations. He loves a good redemption story. If he nixed this there's good reason.