Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Nicole Gonzales reportingYesterday, we learned about the Glendale Warriorz, a football team that's giving gang members a chance to succeed on and off the field.
Today we're highlighting a particular player who's gone from prison to proud father and is now a role model to others on the team.
Rene Martinez knows about the Utah gang lifestyle. He paid by serving 2 1/2 years at State Prison.
Martinez says that was the turning point for him. Now he's a construction worker taking care of his wife and 10-year-old daughter Kayla.
Kayla says, "He wants the best for him and myself and my mom, and he works hard at everything he does.
A lot of that hard work is demonstrated on the football field. Martinez is a part of the Glendale Warriorz, a team made up of troubled youth and ex-gang members.
He's one of the older players on the team and wants to bring a sense of pride back to the Glendale community.
He hopes their small contribution on the football team can bring a big boost. He says, "Recognize that this program is bigger than us. This community is bigger than a color or a street. It's bigger than anything you can perceive as thinking that it's cool to be a gangster or anything like that."
Right now, for Martinez, it's cooler to be a good father and a role model more than anything else.
Martinez along with the rest of the Warriorz have a 5-1 record and hope to be contenders for a championship.
E-mail: ngonzales @ksl.com
