It was with much difficulty to decide to share her personal experiences of domestic violence and mistreatment in her book, “CLUTCHES” but Tina was determined to bring more awareness to this disease. Tina was involved with San Diego Pro-linebacker, Shaun Phillips who in the beginning of their relationship was golden. But things took a darker turn later after the birth of her twins, Marcus and Cameron.
We have been tuned in to the joy and entertainment value of all sports. But many of us do not know some of the not so joyful moments the surround the sport. In recent studies it has been revealed that the NFL players arrested is 1 in 45. Which is not a small number based on how many players are on every team. NHL and MLB players have a low rate of domestic abuse arrests. It seems that the NBA and NFL have the widest range of offenses—domestic abuse, reckless driving or behavior, DUI, assault and battery, and drug-related crimes.
In her book she details how a relationship with Shaun almost turned deadly. Whether it was based on head trauma from the sport or other more deeper issues it is unknown. But Tina became a punching bag and a victim to verbal and physical abuse. Outside of the abuse Tina was left with dealing with medical bills not only for her but the boys. Marcus had a Level 3 bleed on his brain, and Cameron had to be fed through a tube because of his stomach issues. Shaun was of no real help and as of this writing he has been in arrears for thousands in over 18 years. These are just two elements that she touches upon in her book “Clutches”.
“You can’t even imagine how many times I went to police stations, reporting violent incidents and nothing was ever done. I even called dozens of nonprofit organizations with Hotlines set up to help, but never any meaningful follow-up. I once received a call back 5 days later. Come on! In five days, I could have been dead. NFL teams spend numerous hours training the athletes to run plays, of course, to increase their bottom-line. They train and train to be sure the athlete knows exactly what to do in every on field instance, but there isn’t much done to help these young men, some of them from troubled environments, to become better people.”
In her way of giving back to her community she has organized a tour “KNOW YOUR POWER!”, to bring domestic violence awareness. The tour would promote awareness like the prevention of physical as well as psychological abuse, and the children that have been affected because of these types of relationships. She would encourage everyone to know that they have an inner strength and the power to do whatever they set out to do.
Her fear was so acute that she even took up marksmanship to protect herself and the boys. She has been harassed and even threatened which prompted her to take this up.
The upside at least is that her twins have excelled in education and have a bright future ahead of them. Marcus is president of his dorm. He has an internship at a finance company. Marcus was just one of five students out of approximately twenty thousand students that were chosen to attend a leadership conference in Los Angeles, California. Cameron is excelling in business development at his college. He has people offering him jobs, pre-graduation.
So far, the book has received positive feedback and has garnered a 5-star rating. Tina’s book is about a real-life struggle with tragic events but also shows the strength and will to carry on despite the odds. Below is the link to the book. Don’t miss out on this tragic but educational page turner.
