MVP
trains the New England Patriots
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"Sport
in Society's MVP Program is the most effective program
of its kind that I have seen. MVP offers the best means of eliminating
violence against women before it starts. I expect the New England
Patriots as well as the New England Revolution to be leaders on
this issue - to their peers and in the community. I hope other
NFL teams follow the example we have set."
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Robert Kraft
Owner, New England Patriots
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(left-right) MVP
Massachusetts Director Jeff O'Brien, Patriot's 1998 rookies -
RB Robert Edwards, WR Tony Simmons, and DB Tebucky Jones, and
MVP National Director Don McPherson pause for a photo after an
MVP workshop.
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New
England Patriots become first Pro sports team to request MVP training.
The New England Patriots became the first professional sports organization
to request gender violence prevention training by Northeastern University's
Center for the Study of Sport in Society's
Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) Program. The Patriots committed
to using MVP as a pro-active model to train their personnel on the critical
issue of men's violence against women. From May 12-14, 1998, the entire
Patriots' coaching staff, including head coach Pete Carroll, owner Robert
Kraft, and Vice President Don Lowery, were presented with a daily 90-minute
orientation to the MVP curriculum.
The workshops
were facilitated by MVP National Director Don
McPherson and MVP Massachusetts Director
Jeff O'Brien, and MVP Special Consultant Jackson Katz. MVP
staff explained the MVP philosophy and spoke to the participants about
their role as potential leaders and active bystanders in the effort
to end men�s violence against women. The facilitators also took the
Patriots coaches through an MVP Playbook scenario and explained how
they will use each of the exercises with the Patriots' players.
MVP trained
the Patriots' rookies and free agents on June 2, 3, and 4, 1998. Sport
in Society hopes other professional sports organizations and franchises
follow the example set by Kraft and the New England Patriots - to combat
men's violence against women pro-actively. Most recently the Chicago
Bears have become the latest pro sports entity to enlist the services
of MVP.