Craven: Football can be a guiding light on domestic violence

[caption id="attachment_17855" align="alignleft" width="300"]Photo by Pat Carrigan Photo by Pat Carrigan[/caption] Everyone has a story. We, as people, tend to judge those whose story is different than our own. In an age where social issues are creeping into the sports world, domestic violence is becoming a bigger and bigger topic for young men in this country. And while “not hitting women” is a message most of us seem should be obvious, it is still a message that needs reinforcement at early age. People mock Charlie Strong’s “Five Core Values” chart he brought to Texas from Louisville. One of the five rules on his chart is about violence against women. Dallas Skyline inviting conversation about domestic violence, like in this article, should be applauded. More schools should and likely will do more of this as the topic grows bigger. We try to educate high school students about drugs, alcohol, sex and gang violence, so adding domestic violence into the mandatory mix of social awareness is logical. Look around and it is easy to tell our young men need more education on the subject. Ray Rice is out of the NFL right now because of domestic violence. Two Florida State football players were suspended from the team because of domestic violence. Greg Hardy of the Dallas Cowboys is missing the first four games of the season because of domestic violence. The issue is real, and it is an issue we all need to address. Starting the conversation in high school is great. Kids tend to start dating in high school and the first few relationships we have can set trends, both good and bad. Nothing wrong comes from open conversation and education. Dallas Skyline took a great first step in advocating against domestic abuse, and it hopefully set the tone for the rest of the state.