Cornell Haynes III: Nelly’s Son, Football Years, Family, and Music
Cornell Haynes III, also known as Tre, is Nelly’s son and a former high school football and track athlete who appeared on BET’s Nellyville. He was born on March 2, 1999, to Nelly and Channetta Valentine. Football became a major part of his teen years before a back injury in 2014 forced him to consider other paths. PEOPLE also describes him as having a passion for sports and music production.
In this article, we look at his family, athletic years, injury, and time on Nellyville, along with the backup plan Nelly encouraged him to build. We also cover his interest in music production and the quieter public life he has kept as an adult.
Growing Up in Nelly’s Family
PEOPLE reports that Nelly and his former partner Channetta Valentine share two children: daughter Chanelle, born in 1994, and Cornell, born in 1999.
After Nelly’s sister Jackie Donahue died from leukemia in 2005, he raised her two children, Shawn and Sydney Thomas, alongside his own children; years later, he welcomed another son, Kareem Kenkaide Haynes, with Ashanti in July 2024.
BET launched Nellyville in 2014, and the series followed Nelly as he balanced work and parenting while Chanelle, Tre, Shawn, and Sydney pursued their own goals.
In a 2015 appearance on The Real, later summarized by PEOPLE, Nelly described a close father-son relationship in which he and Tre shared clothes, shoes, and much of the same music while he still stressed parental guidance. That balance also appeared on Nellyville, where their relaxed relationship sat alongside school expectations, athletic responsibilities, and planning for the future.
Tre was still in high school when the show began, and BET described him as a sports fanatic with a packed schedule. He was dealing with classes, football, college scouts, SATs, and music at the same time.
Football Became His Main Goal
Tre’s football story did not begin with a camera crew because he had been playing for years before Nellyville arrived. In a 2015 St. Louis Magazine interview, he said he started organized football at age six through the Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club in St. Louis.
He remembered the first practice clearly because organized football felt different from backyard games, and he said he quickly fell in love with it. By high school, he attended Christian Brothers College High School, played cornerback, and also competed in track.
During the 2013 season, he stood out on the football field, then ran sprints and took part in jumping events the following spring. He was a multi-sport high school athlete, even though football received more attention during the Nellyville years.
Before Nellyville, Tre already had years of organized athletics behind him, and his schedule went well beyond football games. BET’s profile showed him balancing academic preparation, SAT work, football practice, competition, college recruitment, track, and music while he was still in high school.
BET’s Nellyville profile showed him preparing for scouts while keeping up with school, training, and games, while football and track were both established parts of his high school life.
The Back Injury That Changed His Plans
The key turn came in 2014, when Tre first hurt his back during the summer and then injured it again in the football preseason. In his St. Louis Magazine interview, he described returning a kick for about 90 yards and reaching the end zone without taking a hit, but his back did not feel right.
An X-ray the next day showed a broken transverse process, and he was told recovery would take about six to eight weeks with rehab. For a teenager hoping to play at the next level, the timing was rough because he did not want to lose the whole season.
He kept going to games even when he could not play and helped as a water boy or ball boy when needed. Staying around the team kept him close to football, but the time away also made him think harder about life outside the sport.
The injury pushed him to think beyond football, a subject he later discussed when describing Nelly’s advice about having a backup plan.
Why Nelly Encouraged Him to Have a Backup Plan
Nelly used the injury as a chance to talk about life after sports, and Tre later said his father asked him to think about a backup plan. What would happen if he got hurt again, or if football simply did not work out?
Those questions led Tre toward sports media, where broadcasting and announcing became possible options, and Nelly then helped make that idea more real. He arranged for his son to sit in with former NFL player and broadcaster Willie McGinest on an ESPN set.
The visit gave Tre a direct look at sports broadcasting while he was still deciding what might come after high school football, with Nelly encouraging him to prepare for more than one possible future.
Tre told St. Louis Magazine that the injury gave him more time to focus on academics and consider alternatives to playing football. Nelly then arranged the ESPN visit with Willie McGinest, giving him a direct introduction to professional sports broadcasting while he was still recovering.
Cornell Haynes III on Nellyville
Nellyville arrived during that same period and followed Nelly as a father of four young people at the time. Along with Tre, viewers met Chanelle, Shawn, and Sydney, each with different goals and problems.
Football was Tre’s main storyline on the show, with viewers seeing a teenager handle school, sports, family expectations, and recovery from injury.
BET’s family profile called him a star high school athlete and also noted that music was part of his schedule.
His Interest in Music Production
Music was part of Tre’s life while he was growing up around Nelly’s recording career. BET also noted music as part of his schedule during the Nellyville years.
PEOPLE describes Cornell Haynes III as having a passion for sports and music production.
As an adult, he has kept a much lower public profile than Nelly.
A Name Shared Across Three Generations
Cornell Haynes III shares his name with his father, whose full name is Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. He is commonly known as Tre, and PEOPLE also notes that he has used the name Trizzle on Instagram.
St. Louis Magazine also referred to him as Cornell “Tre” Haynes in its 2015 profile about his football injury.
Nellyville also showed Nelly pushing Tre to keep up with school while he explored sports broadcasting after the injury.
Cornell Haynes III and His Siblings
Tre has an older sister, Chanelle, who is also known as Nana. They share the same parents. Shawn and Sydney Thomas are the children of Nelly’s late sister Jackie, and Nelly raised them after her death.
PEOPLE has also described Tre and Chanelle as close. For his 24th birthday in March 2023, Chanelle shared family photos and praised her younger brother’s strength, heart, and creative choices.
Nelly and Ashanti welcomed Kareem in 2024, giving Tre a younger half-brother.
BET’s first Nellyville episode described Nelly as a single father raising four children in St. Louis, including his late sister’s two children.
On Nellyville, Tre’s own storyline remained focused on school, football, injury, and planning for life after high school sports.
Where Cornell Haynes III Is Today
As an adult, Tre has kept a lower public profile than Nelly. PEOPLE continues to describe him as having a passion for sports and music production.
His best-known public years remain his time at Christian Brothers College High School and on Nellyville. He played football and track, recovered from a serious back injury, and began considering sports broadcasting after Nelly encouraged him to have a backup plan.
The 2014 injury changed the direction of his athletic plans, while music remained another interest already visible during the Nellyville years.
His public profile is much quieter than it was during Nellyville, and he appears far less often in major interviews than his father.
For another profile about a son growing up around a well-known music family, read our Jamison Pankey story on LakewoodScoop.co.uk.