TYLER, Texas — Former NFL star Troy Vincent was in Tyler Tuesday sharing his emotional experience with domestic violence and how it shaped his life.
"In the bathroom, just laying in a puddle of blood, That was my visual of domestic violence, and it was my mother," Vincent said.
Vincent, a 15-year NFL veteran and the executive vice president of football operations, was the guest speaker for the East Texas Crisis Center's Advancing the Game luncheon.
At 16 years old, Vincent became committed to ending domestic violence and spoke not only about growing up in that environment, but also the violence experienced by his wife and children to a crowd of hundreds at the fundraising luncheon.
Vincent challenged the crowd to not ignore the violence and to support the East Texas Crisis Center.
"Domestic violence and sexual assault, it is our issue. And violence against young women and girls -- it is everywhere even here in the great state of Texas and Tyler. And you have a tremendous resource that is taking care of families, young ladies, young men that have been displaced, harmed," Vincent said. "So it is going to take all of us to come out, whether it is your time, your treasure, your talents in supporting the crisis center."
In 2002, the NFL acknowledged the work that Vincent and his wife had done fighting domestic violence and awarded him the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award.
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