Syracuse in focus (SIF)

Author, activist, former NBA player and SU grad Etan Thomas moderated a panel (along with Rachel Vassel) on Fatherhood on Friday. The panel was made up of former SU basketball players.

Where are C-SPAN or ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” when you need them?

After a week that provided way too much negative news pertaining to male athletes and domestic violence and abuse allegations, former SU students Etan Thomas and Rachel Vassel facilitated a panel Coming Back Together (CBT) aimed at dissecting fatherhood, particularly among people of color.

The discussion featured former SU players Billy Owens, Derrick Coleman, John Wallace, Roosevelt Bouie and Lawrence Moten. The audience included students, members of the community and alumni (including members of the Syracuse Eight)

The 2-hour town-hall style meeting touched on single parent homes, solutions for raising a generation of children in the modern era, and how to discipline while still showing love.

At times the candor of the athletes spurred a range of emotions (from tears to gut-busting laughter).

Billy Owens, Derrick Coleman and John Wallace

All-time leading SU scorer (and in the Big East) Lawrence Moten talked about teaching the art of respect when it comes to fathering his daughters.

SU’s gentle giant Roosevelt Bouie

Etan Thomas talks about reaching not only his own children but those in the community as well (seated to his right was former SU player Manny Breland).

A Magnificent Six

We are sure this conversation will continue somewhere (possibly at the next gathering) or maybe another institution will do a tangential discussion.  In the meantime we salute Etan, the other former players, and organizers of CBT for addressing the subject.

We wish they met annually.