Plano Wildcats Stand Up and Say #NOMORE Domestic Violence

By Chris Doelle
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Updated: May 6, 2017

"...more important than winning football games"

Plano, Texas - While most of the state was focused on Spring Football, the Plano Senior High football team instead, decided to stand up against domestic violence and sexual abuse on Friday, May 5. Assistant Coach Steve Thomas came up with the idea for the program and designed t-shirts to give the idea lasting impact.

For survivors of domestic violence, who may also be wounded both physically and emotionally, the color purple is meant to be a symbol of peace, courage, survival, honor and dedication to ending violence. The shirts and the events of the day are just a small way to bring recognition to an important issue.

“It gives us a chance as coaches to present something to the players far more important than winning football games,” Assistant Coach Steve Thomas said, “It’s important to grow as a man, to grow as a responsible citizen.”

The coaches, team members and trainers made their stance known by wearing the purple shirts during the school day:

Assistant Coach Steve Thomas and senior Athletic Trainer Abby Crouse show off the shirts

“These shirts emphasize the importance of being proactive about domestic violence, especially due to its numerous cases involving football players,” junior Nate Browne said of the purple shirts.

In addition to wearing these t-shirts, the team met at Plano Superbowl after school. There, they learned about domestic violence from ESPN analyst and former NBA player Stephen Howard. The entire event was orchestrated by Thomas with the assistance of PISD At-Risk Specialist Lawrence Mann.

“I don’t think that there’s a young enough age for males to start to develop a consciousness about this topic,” Thomas said. “I just watched a video of a mother who told her story about being raped to the Stanford University football team, and I thought she really hit it on the head. She said, ‘I am not here talking to you because you are the problem. I’m talking to you because you can be the solution.’”

Furthermore, Browne said that while he was excited to raise awareness, he ultimately wants to remove the association of domestic violence with athletes.

“I hope to change the viewpoint of others and show how not all football players are abusive. It’s important to stress that some of us are being proactive and taking a stand against it,” Browne said.

After listening to the speaker, the team had a friendly bowling tournament. The manager of the bowling alley donated the bowling time to the team and re-purposed old bowling pins to use as trophies.

“The trophy will be something unique, but it’ll be a remembrance of the time they stood against domestic violence,” Thomas said.

According to junior Marsalis “Marso” Upshaw, this day against domestic violence and sexual assault was a great way to learn about a serious topic as well as strengthen the bonds between his teammates.

“We can encourage and teach our young men to avoid a situation that can lead to domestic violence or sexual assault. This has not only made me more knowledgeable about the problem but has enlightened me on how one mistake can change your life,” Upshaw said.

by Sabrina LeBoeuf