It's always an exciting time of year, as college football rapidly approaches. Training camp is well underway, and a trip to Los Angeles to face the Bruins gets closer and closer. So much excitement, however, also requires perspective. The Aggies were presented the opportunity to gain perspective, as Damon West presented his story to the team.
It's always an exciting time of year, as college football rapidly approaches. Training camp is well underway, and a trip to Los Angeles to face the Bruins gets closer and closer. So much excitement, however, also requires perspective. The Aggies were given the opportunity to gain perspective, as Damon West presented his story to the team.
Mikado Hinson, Texas A&M's Director of Player Development, was thrilled for West to return to Aggieland to speak to the team.
"Everything is done on purpose, for purpose and with purpose," remarked Hinson. "I believe his life and testimony will change some guys' lives; whether it's keeping them from making poor decisions, challenging them in their everyday life or whatever it might be. It will be life-changing for our guys, and it's not just the athletes. The message hit us all. I'm honored that he was able to come."
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Coach Sumlin with Damon West
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The presentation was called, "A Warning to Some, A Message of Hope to Others".
Damon West was a standout football player who went on to play quarterback at North Texas. Everything changed in 1996. Ironically, West was injured in a game against the Aggies on Kyle Field. He never played another game. With no plans outside of the game, life spiraled after the injury. He turned to drugs. He turned to robbery until he was arrested in 2008. It took the jury just 10 minutes to convict him, and he was sentenced to 65 years in prison. West served over seven years before being given another chance. It's a chance to share his message and challenge people to follow the right path, especially on those "fork in the road" days where making the right choices and decisions can be most challenging.
"I know there's someone in that room who needs to hear that message of what I went through," said West. "That helps me to make sense of it all. I put so many people through so much and caused a lot of pain for a lot of people. This is how I make sense of it, go out and share it and help others."
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West's presentation goes through the entire experience. It started with some poor choices that started out small, but became very big and completely changed his life. West talked about prison life. He talked about the fights. He talked about avoiding gangs and the struggle to walk on his own.
Mr. West also discussed the "pot of boiling water". For him, that pot of water was finding his way through prison, learning from the experience and becoming a better version of himself. He said for others, that pot of water is life. How do you respond to the ups and downs? He gave three choices based on his own experience; carrot, egg and coffee bean. The carrot goes to prison, gets soft and doesn't make it. The egg gets hard but loses the ability to love and grow. The coffee bean gets thrown into that boiling pot, stays true to its form and actually changes to the surrounding environment. The coffee bean was his choice, and he challenged those in attendance to make that choice, as well.
There is never a bad time to hear a presentation like this, but according to Hinson, this is an ideal time for the Aggies to hear West's message.
"We're in a bubble right now," noted Hinson. "There is so much football right now, so this was important to stop, unplug and look at a different view of life. Here is someone who played football at a high level and then made some poor choices in life after football. Our young men had to hear his story. Is it going to make them better football players? I don't really care. They have great talent and ability, so they're going to do that anyway. I think this will make us better men."
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West's presentation had the full attention of everyone in attendance. West seemed impressed, not only by the attention paid, but the respect shown to him by members of the team.
"These players are so amazing," admitted West. "They greet you. They look you in your eyes and shake your hand. Not everybody does that kind of stuff. It's a football program, but football isn't all they're here for. They're here for life, to learn life lessons and to go out and be better men. I'm blown away and humbled to share my life lessons with them, and I hope it can help mold and shape the young people today."
Hinson wasn't surprised at the positive reaction by the team before, during and after the presentation.
"We have great young men on our team," stated Hinson. "We're recruiting high character guys, and their character matches their athletic ability. Seeing our guys' reaction to today's presentation makes me proud to be their Director of Player Development. We're teaching them, and they're listening. They were locked in and on the edge of their seats today, and they know how to give respect. Not just great, we have some phenomenal young men as part of our program and family." Â Â
