William Gay shares his story about domestic violence

William Gay knows domestic violence.

After all, that's how No. 22 lost his own mother. Today, Gay volunteers at a Pittsburgh shelter for battered and abused women. Obviously, domestic violence has played a huge role in Gay's life, and with the current domestic violence issues looming over the NFL, Gay wants to share his experiences publicly to spread greater awareness about domestic abuse.

With journalist Peter King's collaboration, Gay shared his story about domestic violence on Wednesday via SI.com. In the piece, Gay talks about losing his mother at just eight years old and how that moment impacted his life, his volunteer service at the Pittsburgh shelter, other NFL players and their conversations about domestic violence. Gay also discusses the Ray Rice situation and what the NFL needs to do to resolve the current domestic-violence issue existing within the league.

The profile depicted on SI.com is as much inspirational as it is educational. William Gay has turned a terrible moment in his life into a positive way to potentially help millions of people. The NFL certainly could benefit by having more players with his dedication and sensitivity on a crucial issue, not only for the league but for society at large.

"If we're going to fix this problem in the NFL, our focus can't be solely on what the punishments should be. The main priority needs to be helping victims-to show them how they can be heroes. The league needs to be asking, Why is this occurring? And how can we help prevent this? The NFL needs to focus on setting up program that can help men and women have healthy relationships. Let players know about what facilities or services are available. We, as players, need to continue talking about this. Keep the issue of domestic violence in the conversation to raise awareness. That's where our energy needs to be." (William Gay: an excerpt from his column Looking Through Bulletproof Windows published Wednesday on SI.com)