Gridiron Gang

Roger Weathers: Mr. Porter? Sean Porter: Gettin' beatin' in the middle of the night, how'd you like it, Roger? You like that? Roger: Whatchu hitting me for? Sean: What you hit Kelvin Owens for? Roger: He dissed my 'hood! Sean: And now he's out there asleep and you're stuck in here. So what does that make you? Roger: Hey, man. Can you do dat? Sean: Can I do what? Roger: Be smackin' me and shit. Sean: I guess I can. Roger: SHIT, man! Sean: Roger, you're 17-years-old. Where you gonna be in four years, huh? Roger: I don't know. Sean: Answer me. Where you gonna be when you're 21? Roger: Probably in jail. Sean: What? Look at me! What'd you say? Roger: In jail. Sean: No. You're not gonna be in jail. You're gonna be dead. [Bends down to talk with Roger] You're a good kid, Roger. But you're gonna be back out on the streets tomorrow. Back in your hood with your homeys. You wanna stay alive, you gotta make a life for yourself outside of your set. If you don't do that, if you don't find an alterna

Gridiron Gang, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sean: Listen, Paul, we convince a kid to stop gangbanging, all we do is create a void. And unless we fill that void with somethin' better, we're gonna lose 'em. According to the teaching staff, the kids here have trouble being punctual, responding to authority, being a member of a team, and accepting criticism. What one activity can improve 'em on all these areas? Paul Higa: You wanna start a football team? Sean: Exactly. Paul: Sean, look at them. Our whole system's designed to prevent them from making contact. Sean: Our whole system right now is a joke. Ted Dexter: Malcolm, you're not buying into this, are you? Malcolm: Seventy-five percent of our kids end up back in jail. How much worse could it be? Ted: Well, who are they gonna play against? Sean: I'll find 'em high school teams to play. Ted: Wait a minute, you wanna take 'em out of the camp? You really think you can trust these kids? Sean: Not now, no. But if they were a football team... Ted: Oh, come on, Sean. It's-it's impossible

Gridiron Gang, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sean: You wanna play football with this team, you're gonna live with the team, eat with the team, and work with the team. Miguel Perez: Is practice gonna be hard? Sean: It's a lot harder than five homeboys beatin' up a security guard, Perez. Perez: Then I'm in. Sean: How 'bout you, Bates? Kenny Bates: I don't know. Sean: Don't be scared. Bates: I'm not scared. Sean: You're on the team. Leon Hayes: Yo. I'll play quarterback. Sean: You got any experience, Leon? Leon: Man, I got so much experience I could give some away and still have more than I could use. Sean: All right. Junior Palaita: I'll play. Sean: I can't use you, Junior. Junior: Why not? Sean: 'Cause you got no discipline. You'll be tryin' to start fights every time I turn my back. Junior: You ain't even gonna give me a chance? Sean: You've had plenty of chances. Who else? How 'bout you, Owens? You played defensive back, didn't you? For Washington? [Kelvin doesn't answer] You wanna check your calendar and get back to me? Or mayb

Gridiron Gang, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sean: All right, everybody, listen up. Whatever neighborhood you came from, whatever gang you claim, whatever hood you're from, this is your hood now. You're no longer a Blood, no longer a Crip, no longer an esé. You're Mustang. This football program will be three-pronged. Number one, the dorm. You're gonna have to learn to get along with people from other neighborhoods. Different backgrounds. Number two, school. You're gonna have to apply yourself. Become a better student. And number three, the gridiron. Bug: Hey, coach. What's the gridiron? Sean: You're standin' on the gridiron. The gridiron is a football field. On the gridiron, we play football. On the gridiron, we do it my way. Not your way, my way. Your way got you here. And you're here, 'cause ya lost. Right now, you're losers. Mustangs are winners. And if you accept this challenge, when it's all over come December, you're gonna be winners.

Gridiron Gang, CC BY-SA 4.0

All right, bring it in. Great practice, great practice. Way to work, way to work. Everybody in close. Get in close. Take a knee. You guys worked really hard this week. You should be proud. You haven't heard that a whole lot, have you? You've earned it. Boys, it's a whole new world out there when you earn things. All right, bring it in. Everybody in. Everybody in. Mustangs on three. One, two, threeǃ (Everyone: "MUSTANGSǃ")

Gridiron Gang, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sean: You got a pass, Junior? Junior: I had a phone call. Sean: From who? Junior: It's my boy's birthday, man. He's two-years-old. He's two-years-old and I missed it. I wanna be a Mustang, coach. Sean: Why should I trust you? Junior: 'Cause I ain't gonna mess up. Sean: That's what you told the judge the last time you got out. Junior: No more. I'm tired of bein' a loser, man. Makin' a mess of everything. Coach, I wanna show people I can play. I can do somethin' with my life. I just wanna make my son proud.

Gridiron Gang, CC BY-SA 4.0