Baltimore Ravens tight end Benjamin Watson spent enough time working with the NFL this year on its message to players about conduct that he wasnt expecting to be so personally engaged by it. Yet there he was, after the Ravens mandatory training hour last week, discussing childrens safety -- and guns.This is the third year the NFL has had social responsibility training, but its the first time the league added a discussion about gun ownership and the importance of safe storage of weapons.We hear these horror stories all the time about a child that finds a firearm and who shoots and hurts themselves, or kills someone else, Watson said. And youd hate for that to happen because its so preventable. Im glad they added that myself, as a father of five.This season, the training was pared down and changed as the league shifts from responding to the Ray Rice situation and domestic violence to a more interactive format. Players viewed videos (one, for example, showed a drunken driver swerving a car all over the road) and were asked to discuss.Weve never presented the issue from a social responsibility perspective before, said Anna Isaacson, the NFLs vice president of social responsibility. These were crucial societal issues that people just didnt know enough about, and we felt that it was our duty, and it was the right thing to do, to make sure that everyone in the NFL family had the same knowledge, so that we were all on an even playing field and we all had the same information.This year in the offseason, Denvers Aqib Talib suffered a gunshot wound in Dallas, and former Saints defensive end Will Smith was shot and killed?during a traffic altercation in New Orleans.Ever since Plaxico Burress shot himself in the leg when he was a wide receiver for the Giants, NFL teams have hosted presentations by law enforcement officials about local laws on owning and carrying weapons. Burress, who was not licensed to carry a concealed weapon in New York, served 20 months in jail.The NFL has recommended that players stay away from gun ownership, but Sean Taylors 2007 death during a robbery at home still lingers, and NFL players know they can be targeted for their wealth.Because of the Second Amendment, Watson said, the NFL cant tell you [that] you cant have a gun, because youre a citizen of this country.So the league is discussing gun safety through the prism of child shooting tragedies.About a third of teams have completed the sessions. Parts of the presentations still focus on domestic violence. Watson is featured in one of the videos, discussing a moment when he saw a woman in a convenience store. She appeared to be hurt and was lingering inside, apparently to avoid returning to a car and its driver.The discussion follows. Could he really assume violence had occurred? Should he have called anyone? What was his obligation to that woman? What would he risk for intervening?He spoke from the heart and its a real situation. People can imagine being in that situation and not knowing what to do, Isaacson said. What Ive heard from the feedback is, thats really hard. The point of that video is to spark that ongoing dialogue because theres no solution, theres no easy answer. ... Its important that we think through them.Of the sessions Watson said, Having a conversation is a way to engage in a nonthreatening manner.The NFLs previous training on domestic violence emphasized dos and donts. Players were presented with statistics and a discussion of the definition of consent in sexual situations.But there was some negative feedback from players who felt it was a bit patronizing and targeted them for an issue they might never intersect with.Watson discussed it with his wife, Kirsten.My wife, in her wisdom, told me, No matter the reason theyre doing it, if it changes one mans mind as hes about to hurt his wife or girlfriend, then its worth it, Watson said.Watson, who is entering his 13th NFL season, said he has seen change since the league began frankly discussing violence -- not just among players, but as a whole in the culture. And he emphasized that continuing the training is important, given how often new players come into the league.We were moving at lightning speed, Isaacson said of that first year. Weve spent a full year planning for this years education. 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Tinsley, a 10-year veteran, spent the last two seasons in Utah, where the point guard averaged 3. (STATS) -- Retiring Villanova coach Andy Talley is pleased to know his legacy has as much to do with his work off the field as it does on it.Talley is a driving force with the Be The Match national bone marrow registry drive and his foundation has partnered with over 50 other schools to register more than 61,000 potential donors, leading to over 260 transplants since 2008.The 73-year-old will continue to champion the cause in coaching retirement, but Talley also wants to keep this 32nd and final season at Villanova going beyond Saturdays CAA Football game at Delaware -- the 50th renewal of the rivalry.A win would lift Villanova to 8-3 and surely clinch a 12th FCS playoff appearance for Talley. A loss would be the Wildcats second straight and third in five games and, at 7-4, could keep them from gaining an at-large bid.The Wildcats face a Delaware squad that is 4-6 and finishing a second straight losing season, but the Blue Hens are 2-2 and playing better since coach Dave Brock was fired on Oct. 16 and co-defensive coordinator Dennis Dobbin-Carter took over on an interim basis.We just have to move on quickly because Delaware is waiting and its an incredibly important game, Talley said.ddddddddddddThey played hard for Dave and theyre playing hard for Dennis as well. I think the Delaware kids are football kids, they come to play. Im impressed with them, theyre giving everybody a run. I feel like right now theyre as good as just about anyone weve played. Especially in the situation that were in where we have to win this game to be a playoff team.Talley is 228-136-1 (.626) at Villanova, including a CAA-record 142 wins in conference games. His biggest win, though, was a 23-21 victory over Montana in the 2009 FCS championship game.Including his five seasons at Division III St. Lawrence, he is 256-154-2 (.624) overall.Longtime Villanova assistant Mark Ferrante, who has been with Talley for three decades, will become the Wildcats head coach following the 2016 season. Talley will stay at the suburban Philadelphia university through 2017 in an administrative role, serving as special assistant to athletic director Mark Jackson. ' ' '
