Athletes take domestic violence pledge

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Every tackle the Western Mass Warriors made today held a special meaning. During a benefit game at AIC, the Warriors, their Panther opponents and the Springfield police department took a pledge against domestic violence. 22news was there for kickoff, and heard the stories of victims' families.

It's been less than seven months since Nathan Laporte lost his mom, Jessica, to domestic violence. And not a day goes by that he doesn't miss her.

“She was amazing. She was like no other mama ever. I loved her more than ever. She was always there for me, whenever. Every memory that we had; It was fun having her around,” Laporte said.

The Western Mass Warriors and the Springfield police department are taking a stand against tragedies like this one, during their Tackle Domestic Violence game. Every player and official took a pledge to rise above domestic violence, an unfortunately common crime that many don't talk about.

“They keep it a secret and it's hidden and then it escalates to a point where you can't stop it. It's gone too far,” Junior Williams said.

Too many of the people at Saturday's game lost someone, or know someone who is a victim of domestic violence. And events like this one aim to give those victims a voice.

“I know it happens every day. Every day, every minute, every hour. It's important for us to stand together and say we're not going to take it anymore,” Renee Stewart said.

Along with Jessica Rojas' family, the families of Officer Kevin Ambrose and Charlene Mitchell were also honored today. Mitchell was critically injured in a domestic violence shooting that took Officer Ambrose's life.