It has not taken long for new Baltimore Raven Chris Canty to get involved in the local community.
Canty, along with sportscaster James Brown, spoke on Tuesday morning during a domestic violence prevention seminar in the ballroom of an Inner Harbor hotel in downtown Baltimore.
The training session, dubbed “A Call To Coaches: Your Voice Counts,” was designed to teach middle school, high school, college and community coaches about domestic violence against women and how to use their influence to affect change.
“The culture of football rewards physical aggression and violence, but that’s not the way you should work out your emotional issues or personal issues with peers, the opposite sex or people at home,” Canty said. “We want them to take out their emotions on the weights or conditioning, not in a negative way. You can show your emotions and be vulnerable and you’re not being weak. We need to break that stigma.
“You can feel hurt and display your emotions. That’s healthy. It’s not healthy to hold that in when you have issues. When you do that, it can be dangerous and unhealthy.”
The newly acquired Ravens lineman became involved with the program through Rutgers University during his days with the New York Giants.
The program seems to be a cause that Canty holds near and dear to his heart.
“I have a passion for working with young men in sports because I know the impact that coaches can have,” Canty stated when asked why it is so important to provide today’s youth with the message. “We have a mentoring program through my foundation and it hits home with these young men with the message coming from a football player of my stature. It hits home. I promote the same message every day in the locker room and am always available to give guidance.”
The program could not have come at a better time and it’s a shame it has taken this long to be established. Between the recent rumblings with Rutgers head coach Mike Rice both verbally and physically abusing his players, to Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher killing Kasandra Perkins, his girlfriend and mother of their infant child, before committing suicide at Arrowhead Stadium in December, the message is definitely needed.
So, huge props to Chris for his involvement in this great project and getting into the community before he has even stepped onto the field at M&T Bank Stadium.
