Local coaches use professional athlete arrests to teach valuable lessons
SOUTH JACKSON, Tenn. — Local coaches seize the opportunity to teach a real life lesson in light of recent high profile cases of domestic abuse in professional sports. At South Side High School coaches teach more than the X’s and O’s of a game. When the lights go out Friday night, the game is still teaching the young athletes. “It gives you the opportunity to evaluate who you are on the inside and that’s all that matters,” Jason Driggers, South Side Football Coach, said. Driggers said the recent negative media attention of professional athletes, like the violent viral video of Baltimore Ravens’ running back Ray Rice showing him punch his now-wife, and this past week’s domestic assault arrest of former Vanderbilt basketball player Jeffrey Taylor, encourages him even more to teach his players to be positive role models. “In their hearts they probably know what’s the right thing to do. Being leaders, controlling their effort and attitude. If you do that throughout life I think you’ll be alright,” Driggers said. Defensive Coordinator Brian Moore said he has seen how young players have turned their lives around and that, he said, is more rewarding than a win. “Each and every day we get to talk about other stuff than football. A lot of times we’ll go into personal issues with families,” Moore said. Coach Driggers uses a pyramid to teach students the foundation of a great athlete, starting with attitude and leadership. “We teach our guys to stay humble, stay grounded and make the best choices for overall outcome that they can,” Moore said. That includes keeping their aggression on the field. “We try to get them to channel their energy between the whistles and be violent or that six to eight seconds where each play goes and after that let it go,” Moore said. According to USA today, between 2000 and 2013, 84 professional athletes were arrested for domestic violence.
