"Before my granny died, she would always tell me to play football and get my family out of Louisville. Right now, I’m in a bad school, because of what happened in these streets. I’m getting out of there, real soon, when I get to ninth grade. Hopefully, I can go to Ballard and play football for them. 

Sports keep me focused. Before I got shot, I used to be on the gang gang stuff. I don’t even be on that stuff anymore. My granny used to all tell me that ‘if you live by the streets, you’ll die by the streets’. Ever since she told me that, I don’t be gang bangin’ and I’m back in sports.

My daddy died the day after my 5th birthday. He was supposed to buy me a game system and the police ran up on him, out of no where, and started shooting at him. He had a gun on him. He died. 

I got a little brother and sister that I have to look out for. I be telling them that dong bad stuff is not gonna get you anywhere. It’ll get you locked up or in jail. I’ve been trying to stay in sports, to get that stuff off my mind. That gang bangin’ stuff’s not gonna get you dead or in the penitentiary. I’m not trying to go there, I’m trying to live. I just want to live my life. 

My mama has cancer, too. Me and my cousin, Tajean are going through the same thing. Both of our mamas have cancer and both of our daddies are dead.  I always think about my mama and my daddy all the time, so I have to play football, to get that stuff off my mind. I gotta focus on the sports. My daddy used to play for 10th St. I always wanted to play for 10th St. and they let me on the team. Now, I’m trying to go to Ballard and stay focused on that.” - KeiRon, Russell