By Mallory Mattingly
Former NFL star Troy Vincent’s faith in God enabled him to break his family’s generational curse of domestic violence.
“I was just seven years old when my mom’s boyfriend, the father of my younger brother, terrorized our family. He was a jealous, controlling man with a volcanic temper. If another man as much as looked at Mom on the street, she was in for a beating.” Vincent wrote in a letter to Guideposts.
“My brother and I cowered, terrified. When the storm had passed, I crept through the apartment, eventually finding my mom sprawled unconscious and bloody,” he recalled. “I ran into the hall and knocked on neighbors’ doors. No one dared answer. I had to go to the bar next door to call 911 on a pay phone.”
Vincent would eventually become a defensive back in the NFL. Throughout his 15 seasons, the defensive back played for the Dolphins, Eagles, Bills and Commanders. He played “207 games, intercepted 47 passes and racked up nearly 900 tackles” from 1992-2006.
Related: Tampa WR’s Work With Domestic Violence Survivors Earns Nomination for This Award
However, none of that compares to the calling God put on Vincent’s life to combat domestic abuse and promote “the dignity of women and the responsibility of men to end this scourge.”
“Men, we are ALL part of the solution. Help stop the vicious cycle of abuse and take action to stop domestic violence in its tracks,” Vincent wrote in a post on Instagram for National Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October.
Vincent also founded the non-profit organization Love Thy Neighbor to serve “schools, food suppliers, resource providers, and corporations to meet diverse community needs. Their efforts address educational inequities, provide school supplies, support youth leadership, create safe activities, and ensure year-round access to nutritious meals. Currently, LTN focuses on elementary education and domestic violence prevention plus education,” the organization’s website reads.
Vincent and his wife, Tommi, share five children and one grandchild. Even though Vincent is big in the NFL world, his roles of husband, father and PopPop mean more than any accolade.
“God has blessed me with this family. He has blessed me by opening my eyes to my responsibilities as a man, a football player, a husband, a father and now a grandfather. Domestic abuse is multigenerational. But so are love and tenderness and family members learning to take care of one another,” Vincent told Guideposts.
“I let God into my heart, and He interrupted that multigenerational spiral. He replaced it with a life of love and public witness,” he continued. “That’s a victory I celebrate every day. A victory far greater than anything achieved on the gridiron. A victory that I pray will inspire you and strengthen your faith to meet the challenges you face in your life.”
Praise God for how He redeemed Vincent’s story and gave him a platform to fight against domestic violence.
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