A Miami police officer who was assaulted by a high school football star during an anti-police protest in June has befriended both the teen and his family.

Officer Raymon Washington was struck over the head with a skateboard by 17-year-old Michael Marshall during the protest.

But a few weeks ago, Officer Washington agreed to meet Marshall in a conference room at the Miami-Dade Children’s Courthouse.

Marshall, a standout Northwestern High football player who had never before been in trouble, wept as he read a letter of apology, then peppered the officer with questions about police work. Washington, at 27 just a decade older, shared that he had suffered a major concussion in the attack, only the latest in over a dozen dating back to his own days of playing football, the Miami Herald reports.

They talked. They listened. They found some common ground. And against the odds, Washington and Marshall have since formed a friendship and bond, the officer now a mentor to the young man who attacked him.

Officer Washington has blessed a plea deal that calls for no jail time and probation until Marshall is 19 years old. As part of the deal, the teen will do volunteer hours at the Miami Police Department.