|
 He soon learned that his mother had been shot in the back three
times. The assailant, Gay's stepfather, shot himself in the head,
the .38 caliber revolver landing between the bodies.
Gay's mother, Carolyn Hall, was alive for five hours at the hospital
before succumbing, while her husband died instantly. If life in a
Tallahassee, Florida, housing project was tough already, things just
got a lot more demanding for William Gay.
But the 1992 tragedy ultimately turned Gay into an advocate for
women threatened by domestic violence, a scourge that landed on the
doorstep of the National Football League this year and undermined
its leadership.
Several of the league's top players, including Adrian Peterson and
Ray Rice, have seen their domestic violence cases play out publicly
and sponsors have been vocal critics of the league's initial light
sanctions for the stars.
 As the NFL tries to re-establish its credibility on the issue,
including beleaguered Commissioner Roger Goodell, the 29-year-old
Gay finds himself in a unique position of helping fellow players
avoid violence against wives, partners and children.
Gay never knew there were problems in his home. There was no
fighting and no visible bruises on his mother.
"I dealt with a lot of anger because I felt like, 'Why me?'" he said
softly. "I threw out that question a lot. I got to a point where I
didn't care. I felt like no one cared about me. Didn't care about
school. I started lashing out at people."
WORK AT WOMEN'S SHELTER
Gay was headed down the wrong path until at the age of 12, he
received some tough love from his uncle, Army veteran Ronald Hall.
"He basically talked to me like a grown man," said Gay.
"I sat him down and said, 'William you cannot blame the world for
what is happening. In order for you to be a better person, you
better let it go. You're going to end up in jail or dead,'" said
Hall. "He took it to heart."
[to top of second column] |
Gay received a scholarship to the University of Louisville before
entering the pros as a fifth-round draft choice for the Steelers in
2007. Soon enough, he had a Super Bowl ring when the Steelers won
the championship in 2008.
For years, he has quietly worked at the Women's Center and Shelter
of Greater Pittsburgh where his key role is speaking to the mothers
about domestic abuse.
"To hear it from someone who was a child whose mother was murdered
really resonates," said shelter chief executive Shirl Regan. "Those
talks are done off-camera. Nobody sees that. That's on his time. He
does that because it comes from his heart."
While many NFL players wear pink cleats for breast cancer awareness,
Gay faced a possible NFL fine for donning purple shoes in October in
honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Beneath the uniform is another reminder of what happened on March
14, 1992, a tattoo seared on to his arm.
"Even though she wasn't here, my mom molded me into the man I am
today," said Gay. "I still pray to her all the time."
(Reporting by Steve Ginsburg in Washington; Editing by Mary Milliken
and Eric Beech)
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