Golfer Kirk Triplett's plea after Jayland Walker tragedy: 'Community has got to reconcile'
Kirk Triplett knew when he arrived for the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship that he would be spending the week in a community in crisis.
Triplett, 60, watched the video of the fatal shooting of Jayland Walker after a car and foot chase on June 27, when about 60 shots from eight Akron police officers struck the 25-year-old Black man. Triplett has read about the tragedy and the resulting protests with a vested interest.
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He and his wife, Cathi, have an adopted Black son, Kobe, 20. Triplett has had talks with Kobe about what he should do if he gets pulled over, discussions that weren’t necessary with his other three children.
Two years ago, when he came to Firestone Country Club after the murder of George Floyd, Triplett put a Black Lives Matter sticker on his golf bag. Challenged by former Pittsburgh Steelers star Donnie Shell to do more, Triplett partnered with Dedication To Community (D2C), a national nonprofit that educates and empowers communities on diversity, belonging and equity, in February 2021.
“I can certainly empathize with the frustration of the community,” Triplett said of Walker’s death after Wednesday’s pro-am. “Everything I’ve read, everybody’s doing all they can to really figure out what happened. I watched the video. I don’t know what happened.
“...I certainly don’t know all the facts and I don’t pretend to. For me, it’s just always that sense of, ‘Oh, no, not again’ and not really knowing.
“Regardless of the findings, the community has got to reconcile.”
Triplett said he understood the reaction of protestors that prompted a curfew in downtown Akron, where property damage was sustained after the police video was released on Sunday. That curfew was lifted Wednesday.
“Of course, the response is you have to react to not the incident, but what happens after,” Triplett said. “Let’s work on things where everybody kind of understands and believes that justice will be done. It’s impossible to know, but there’s that pent-up energy that’s going to get released if you don’t have faith. Then that tests the faith of those who want to find the answers.
“It’s been a lot of growth for me in the last couple years in this area and I have fewer answers now than I did when I started.”
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Others in the 80-man Bridgestone Senior Players field didn’t know as many details about Walker's death as Triplett.
Defending champion Steve Stricker learned more about what happened when he started a conversation on the fourth tee box.
“I saw a police officer out there today … I knew what had happened, but I didn't … know it was Akron or this area,” Stricker said. “So I said, ‘Hey, how's everything going here in the area? He's like, ‘Haven't you heard?’ I'm like, ‘Oh, my gosh, that was here.’ It struck me then.
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“He told me a little bit what's going on. I don't know the whole ... like I said, I just saw it come across and didn't really pay that much attention to it like I should have, probably. They're going through some tough times here. I just told him the same thing, ‘Hope it all works out for everybody here in the area.’ Nobody wants to go through any of that kind of stuff, especially here locally where it happened, and all the people involved, it's got to be very tough for them.”
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D2C builds relationships
Triplett is learning more about the dynamics between the community and law enforcement. D2C’s founder, M. Quentin Williams, is a former FBI agent and federal prosecutor who worked for the NFL, NBA and the Jacksonville Jaguars. According to his website's bio, he wrote the survival guide, “How NOT to get KILLED by the POLICE.”
In December, Triplett attended a D2C training session sponsored by Major League Soccer franchise Nashville SC, which joins the Miami Heat and Joe Gibbs Racing in partnerships with the nonprofit. Triplett said some universities, including Historically Black colleges and universities and Williams’ alma mater, Boston College, participate in its programs.
“They have 30, 40, 50 people in a room, a dozen officers or so, a lot of community stakeholders,” Triplett said. “Quentin and one of his partners, they usually tell a pretty vulnerable story about incidents from their past and then everybody in the room feels empowered to be honest and share and talk about things.
“The basic goal is, 'If I can look at you as another human being that’s either a father or a husband or a brother or somebody’s son, then maybe I’m going to make decisions that are more humane.' The same from the community’s side with law enforcement, instead of just seeing a blue shield, if I see, ‘Oh, you’ve got kids, you’ve got a life, why would I do things to put you in a horrible position?’ Try and build those relationships.”
Triplett got involved because he believes golf has a lot of reach and influence in the community. He said he approached Don Padgett III, executive director of the Bridgestone Senior Players, about Northern Ohio Golf Charities backing D2C, which also provides education in high schools and athletic departments.
“This tournament could help participate in a partnership like that. They donate money to charity every year,” Triplett said. “This is what I’m trying to do is bring that thought to golf. ‘If this is something important in your community, you can make this type of investment.’”
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Davis Love III, 58, hasn’t played at Firestone since the 2016 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. Asked how he felt for an Akron community heartbroken over Walker’s death, Love said: “There's so much bad news out there. When I walk in and see the ladies at registration and go in the courtesy car trailer and go in the locker room and go out on the golf course and see volunteers, we're excited about playing.
“All we can do for this community is come here and play and bring the PGA Tour back and pray for peace everywhere. We need it in all parts of the world and in all sports, business and personal life. We're happy to bring something positive to this community right now.”
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: PGA golfers seek peace for Akron after Jayland Walker tragedy
