TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida A&M coach Joe Taylor believes there are things that are more important than football. Voting is one of them.
And he’s ensuring his players at the historical Black university are prepared to participate in the political process.
“I’ve always looked at coaching as a ministry,” said Taylor, who grew up in Washington, D.C, during the height of the civil rights movement. “It’s an opportunity to enhance and, even in a lot of cases, save lives.”
Taylor took part of a practice day to work with members of the Rattler football team to ensure they are registered to vote. Florida is among several states where newly passed laws appear to have toughened identification requirements for voters like college students.
“The good Lord didn’t put them here just to be uniform racks,” he said. “You just want to make things available.”
And there are parallels with sport and life.
“Life is about options,” the veteran coach said. “Put someone in a position to have options.”
