Memphis Preps – Memphis Flyer

Coach Rodney Saulsberry

Whitehaven Tigers fans watched their team come from behind and beat previously undefeated Ridgeway at Halle Stadium in East Memphis. The Tigers improved to 6-0 and would have an open week before meeting up with East. Let the extended celebration begin … for everyone except Whitehaven Head Coach Rodney Saulsberry.

He had film work to do, not just for East, but for his own players. Saulsberry can appreciate a win as much as the next coach, but he values getting his guys in college even more. He knows the dream of every kid playing football is to one day suit up with a big time college program.

But he is also well aware of the numbers. According to a 2013 report from the NCAA, 6.5 percent of all seniors playing high school football will play football in the NCAA.

He knows football is a game of inches, and not just on the field, but also a player’s measurements. Saulsberry offers Memphis Tigers defensive lineman Terry Redden as proof. Redden, a Whitehaven graduate, initially wanted to play at Tennessee. “UT didn’t offer him,” says Saulsberry. “Not because he wasn’t good, but because he measured at ‘6-3” instead of 6’-4. We can get kids stronger and faster. We can’t make them grow taller.”

Saulsberry can also help get them noticed. After a game he adds more “film” to a players’ portfolio. “Exposure,” he said. “The more people know the better (a players’) chances are.” So Saulsberry creates a prospect list for all of his seniors and for some of the younger players he puts together a future prospect list and sends them out to college coaches, members of the media, and anyone else he thinks could be of help. “We use email, Twitter, Facebook, the Hudl app to get the word out.”

Hudl, a video hosting service on the web that assists high school teams with collecting and analyzing game film, has made Saulsberry’s life easier. Saulsberry recalls the days of putting players highlights on tapes and DVDs. “It would take a month to get it all done on VHS,” said Saulsberry of the process of transferring a players’ highlights to tape. “On DVD it went from a month to about two or three weeks. Now with (Hudl) it almost instant.”

With the help of Hudl, Saulsberry has most of his college hopefuls’ midseason highlights completed. But that’s just the beginning. “The key is to talk to as many schools possible,” he added. “I communicate with everybody. Rivals.com, Scout.com, 247Sports, ESPN.”

Still it’s no walk in a park for the coach of a team with 121 players this season alone. The Tigers are full of juniors and seniors looking to extend their football careers. So Saulsberry will take any edge he can get in getting his players notice. “Sometimes it helps to have a big fish,” admitted Saulsberry. “Everyone wants to come out and see that player and are able to get a look at some of our other players in the process.” The most recent “catch,” was senior linebacker Josh McMillon who committed to Alabama.

Most players won’t be as coveted as McMillon, resulting in more work for Saulsberry and his support staff. His efforts bleed over into the summer where he will travel with players and get them into off season camps, even coming out of his own pocket to help with the expenses. “Pretty much on my own dime,” he said the trips. “But I get some help from the school, boosters, and parents. It’s a group effort.” It is also the type of loyalty to players that does not go unnoticed by parents. It was one of the reasons former Whitehaven offensive lineman Thomas Burton choose the school. Well more like the reason Burton’s mother Toleda selected it for him.

“He was assigned to Westwood,” Toleda Burton said of her son. “And we considered White Station and Central. But I respected Coach Saulsberry for his discipline, his commitment to his players. (Thomas Burton) needed a strong role male model at school. He also needed a coach with good character and not someone who’s always cursing the boys out, but someone positive.”

The move paid dividends for Burton, who is now a red-shirt freshman at Tennessee State University. Burton’s mother said she was always confident her son would play college football regardless, but with Saulsberry’s assistance his options were more plentiful.

Saulsberry’s commitment to her son not only impressed Toleda, his words touched her. “He gave us a quote for Thomas’ scholarship application,” she said. “He said Thomas was the epitome of what an offensive lineman should be. He (wrote) he would teach other players at the position based on how Thomas played it. And that meant a lot to me.”

According to Saulsberry, every year during the start of the high school football signing period about 10-15 of his players sign with some college football team, which is much higher than the national average for a single school.

Still, despite Saulsberry’s efforts, some players will not get offers from Division I schools. It’s a reality he shares with players upon entering the Whitehaven program. “On day one (of practice) I talk to the older guys with the younger guys present,” he said. “We are not looking to crush dreams but tell them about the real world.”

Saulsberry also shares with them other options: Division II, NAIA, or junior/community college. The perception of junior/community colleges is that they are easy to get into. Saulsberry disagrees. “Because there are so many guys around the country with academic issues looking to play at a junior college and only a few junior college programs available, the competition is tough. The level of skill is high.”

Some community colleges, like Coahoma in Clarksdale, Mississippi, will only allow a certain number of kids from out of state on the team. Because Tennessee doesn’t have junior college football teams, several of Saulsberry’s players have signed at relatively nearby Coahoma.

Saulsberry will leave no stone unturned. For guys who will not play football in college, but want to remain in the sport, he will assist them in finding off the field scholarships. “I have several guys who work as trainers or members of the equipment staff at schools,” said Saulsberry. “Those guys are on scholarships too, some at (Middle Tennessee), Ole Miss, and Memphis.”

And when all else fails, “There’s always the academic scholarship,” said Saulsberry. “We tell (players) to use football as a means to an end, to get an education. It’s more important for (coaches) that kids get a college degree than get to the NFL.”

You can follow Jamie Griffin on twitter @flyerpreps.

The video of former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice knocking out his soon-to-be wife in an elevator has forever changed the rules in the NFL as it relates to domestic violence. Rice was suspended indefinitely by the league. His was just one of several incidents in the NFL recently.

The prevailing thought is that the NFL was not prepared to deal with these recent crises and, as a result, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s reputation and the league’s image have suffered severely.

Duron Sutton

Other major sports leagues have taken notice of what is going on with the NFL and are trying to be proactive in dealing with domestic violence. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he is looking at changing his league’s policy on domestic violence. Ditto for Commissioner Bud Selig and Major League Baseball.

College programs are wrestling with their own issues as it relates to DV. For example, Georgia football coach Mark Richt dismissed defensive tackle Jonathan Taylor over the summer after Taylor was arrested for allegedly choking his girlfriend. Tennessee Vols’ freshman running back Treyvon Paulk was kicked off the team after being accused of hitting his girlfriend, although she did not press charges.

High Schools coaches in the Shelby-Metro area are also now on high alert and for good reason.

A 2011 nationwide survey conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found 9.4 percent of high school students reported being hit or harmed by their boyfriend or girlfriend within a year of the survey. Their research found that 1 in 5 women, who had experienced sexual or physical violence by a partner, first experienced some form of violence from a dating partner between the age of 11 and 17.

According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, 247,069 incidents were reported across the state between 2011-2013. The City of Memphis reported 59,000 cases in 2012 alone. Juveniles accounted for 10 percent of the domestic violence victims in the state. Boyfriend/girlfriend relationships were noted in 43 percent of all reports, regardless of age.

Several area high school coaches are aware of these disheartening numbers which is why some coaches have used the Ray Rice incident as an opportunity to teach beyond the x’s and o’s in their respective sport. Although situations they deal with may not always be technically considered domestic violence by definition, they feel it is close enough.

Ridgeway football coach Duron Sutton addressed his team after watching the Rice video and reiterated a message he had shared with them in the past. “You’re an athlete,” he told them. “If you’re in a situation like that, run. They can’t outrun you. Your little push or shove could be worse than you think.”

Sutton, who also coached at Kingsbury as a head coach, and Craigmont as an assistant, recalled having to talk to a former player about being too aggressive with a girl. “I dealt with a situation with a guy holding a girl’s arm, holding her against a wall. Fortunately it did not escalate into anything more but I got on him hard because you can not put yourself in a situation where you are using physical force.”

“I have two daughters,” Sutton continued, “It’s not right for anyone to put their hands on my child or any child.”

Chris Michael

Yet domestic violence is a reality for many according to Millington Central football Coach Chris Michael. He believes several teens witness it in their households while growing up. Some have seen it while others have been victims of it. He says it is important for people in his position to understand they are more than just coaches. They are role models who can help counter those past volatile experiences.

“You hope you are a model of good behavior, a father figure, a good representative of what a man should be. Someone that helps combat (abusive) pasts.” said Michael.

Mitchell basketball coach Faragi Phillips can relate. Domestic violence is very personal for him. His parents are best friends and happily married now, but that was not always the case for Phillips while growing up. “I grew up in a home where my mom and dad were violent to one another,” he said. “And it motivated me to not do the same. Plus I didn’t ever want my kids to see me behave that way.”

Phillips said he not only broke the cycle of violence in his own life, but has tried to help others do the same. So when the Rice video was shown repeatedly on television and the internet, he knew he had an opening to drive home his message. He brought his team together to begin dialogue on the topic.

“I talked to them and told them it’s never ever okay to put your hands on a female,” said Phillips. “Never, even if you are pushed. It’s just never the right thing. Remove yourself from the situation. Remember Rice had a chance to leave. He didn’t have to go into the elevator with (his then fiancé).”

The message resonated with his players. Kylan Phillips, the coach’s son and Mitchell’s senior guard summarized the discussion. “As a man putting your hands on a woman is never okay. The strength of a woman doesn’t compare at all to a man’s. And there are so many consequences and trouble that could come from it.”

Sutton echoed Phillips’ thoughts. “Guys have girlfriends and they don’t always get along. I’ve been with my wife for 14 years and it’s never gotten physical despite our disagreements. You just have to agree to disagree.”

The Rice situation also offered other teaching opportunities for coaches with their players. “With so much geared toward social media, everything is magnified especially when you start to get a bit of celebrity,” noted Phillips. “And with (Mitchell) winning the state championship, my guys are more recognized in the community now. I told them people will record more video of you, take more photos, and tweet things about you.”

Michael agreed. “It’s probably something to consider in the future when it comes to off the field stuff. Awareness is always important. And it gives young people an avenue to talk a lot about how things should be handled going forward.”

As for the present, Sutton has advice for how young athletes should deal with situations to alleviate any physical confrontations. “Build your vocabulary. Let your words help make your point. Use your brains not your hands.”