On Oprah's 'After Neverland' special, former Eagles player Al Chesley recalls abuse he suffered

During Oprah Winfrey's TV special about the explosive Michael Jackson documentary "After Neverland," former Eagles player Al Chesley spoke about the sexual abuse he suffered as a teenager from a local police officer. 

Winfrey, who frequently spoke on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" about the abuse she suffered as a child, hosted a one-hour special on Monday following the airing of the final part of HBO's "Leaving Neverland." The two-part documentary makes serious claims of child sexual abuse against the pop icon. Jackson's estate has repeatedly disputed the claims. 

During the special, Winfrey interviewed alleged Jackson victims Wade Robson and James Safechuck. It was taped in front of a New York audience that had more than 100 people who have claimed they were sexually abused as children. 

Members of the audience included Chesley, "ER" actor Anthony Edwards and #MeToo founder and activist Tarana Burke. 

"I tried to get the message across to people that sexual abuse was not just abuse, it was sexual seduction," Winfrey said during the special. "I know people all over the world will be in an uproar and debating whether or not Michael Jackson did these things, whether these two men are lying. But to me, this moment transcends Michael Jackson. It's bigger than any one person."

Chesley first spoke out about his abuse in Delaware in 2008. At the time, Chelsey urged victims to take advantage of the state's Child Victim's Act, which had recently passed. It allows victims two years to file a civil suit in child sexual abuse cases that previously had been barred by the statute of limitations.

The football player would eventually be a part of the now-famous Oprah Winfrey Show in which 200 men held photos of themselves at the age when they began to suffer abuse. 

"I numbed the pain, and it led me down a deep, dark path," Chesley told The News Journal in 2008. "I'm 50 years old and just want to free myself from things I've been holding in.

"As they say, I'm as sick as my secret. But I didn't do anything wrong and every time I share it, the pain lessens."

USA Today contributed to this report.

Contact Meredith Newman at (302) 324-2386 or mnewman@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @MereNewman.