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Team helps him through tough days
© St. Petersburg Times ST. PETERSBURG -- In the season's last football game, contested for the league championship, Olajuwon Simmons intercepted a pass and ran for a deciding touchdown. His Northeast Bandits team defeated Dunedin 14-6 to win the title. During a tough year, the championship was a bright spot for the 15-year-old, whose parents died eight months apart. The Bandits, part of the Suncoast Youth Football Conference, stepped up for Olajuwon. The organization raised money for his mother's funeral, conducted a food drive and got busy wrestling legal issues. The effort got Olajuwon through the tough, early days. People such as his coach, Shannon Brooks, still are trying to smooth the way. Lawyers are drafting guardianship papers. Brooks and some others are trying to arrange a permanent, bigger home for Olajuwon and some of his siblings. He currently lives with his 17- and 23-year-old sisters. A couple of families "adopted" the young people for the holiday season, Brooks said, and Edward White Hospital sent presents. "Overall, he's doing okay," Brooks said. But it's not always easy. Friends at St. Petersburg High say they can tell Olajuwon is hurting, even though the quiet youngster doesn't say much. Laquinda Roundtree, with whom Olajuwon lives, said there are issues at home. Getting in trouble? "Not much," she said. "But he doesn't listen to me." Sometimes he doesn't want to go to school, she said. Brooks is aware of the difficulties and continues to keep an eye on Olajuwon. "It's a challenge," the coach said. "But he's a good kid."
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From the Times South Pinellas desks 2002: The Year in Review |
