"Mettle" - grit, tenacity, strength of character

​

The idea of Mettle Sports started after hearing that a college star football player was struggling to adapt to life without sports once he did not make it to the NFL. He was raised in a single parent home in a low income housing development and returned home to his poverty stricken neighborhood. He had one thing that people did not have in his neighborhood, a college degree. He possessed the leadership skills on the field, but for some reason he could not carry it over into developing a career and being a leader in the community. Somewhere in his life he developed the confidence and leadership to get his college football team to rally around him. On the flip side, someone failed to cultivate his confidence and leadership and teach him how to apply it to life after football.  

 

After hearing this story, I began to look at my life.  I was fortunate enough to grow up with both of my parents. My mom worked for an insurance company and my dad was a Police Officer. I saw their work ethic as they worked endless hours of overtime and my dad working three part time jobs. They both worked their way to leadership and supervisory positions. In them, I saw that it wasn't about your job title but your ability to help people succeed. 

 

I grew up in South Jackson and started playing basketball in 5th grade, then took up football too in 6th grade. Going into my 7th grade year my dad asked me if I wanted to continue to play football.  My dad was a gym rat so I knew what he was getting at.  I told him that I wanted to continue football.  He said, "you know you need to get into the gym". I agreed and my parents added me to their gym membership. My mom would take me to the gym and my dad would meet us.  He taught me how to lift and when to lift. They didn't just get me a gym membership, they made an investment in me.  I continued playing only football in 7th and 8th grade.  When I got in 9th grade I continued with football and I also made the basketball and baseball team.  I was also fortunate enough to get my drivers license and my parent's old car.  Being a three sport high school athlete with a car in 9th grade, I was often asked to give my friends a ride home after practice.  That was when I really got to see that my friends were not as fortunate as I was.

 

I remember taking a friend home after practice one night.  When we got into his neighborhood he told me he lived by the "store".  I had heard about this place being surrounded by drugs and violence.  Two of our childhood friends were later murdered in this area.  When we arrived at his house I asked him if anyone was home. He told me that his mom was at work.  This touched my heart.  Here I am going home to a nice house, with both parents at home and there he is fending for himself while his mom was at work.  On top of that, he had to do it in a violent neighborhood.   

  

Now I look back at my life so far.  I was able to continue my football career at Mississippi College and graduate.  I got into Law Enforcement shortly after college.  This gave me a more intimate look at the less fortunate and the cycle of drugs and violence.  I saw kids get wrapped up in the street life and squander their talents. 

 

I want Mettle Sports to be an avenue for success. I want to give them a place to go.  I want them to know that they are better than the street life.  I want them to achieve greatness in their sports but I want to give them an identity other than an athlete in their sport.  I will do my best to equip these athletes with the necessary tools to become leaders in their community and in life.