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Transcript of Monday Press Conference Featuring Coach Johnson and Erik Davis 12/27/2004
Transcript of Monday Press Conference Featuring Coach Johnson and Erik Davis Head Coach Bobby Johnson and junior Erik Davis (Nashville, Tenn.) addressed the media Monday regarding the death of Vanderbilt student-athlete Kwane Doster. A complete transcript follows. Opening remarks by Head Coach Bobby Johnson “Obviously, this has been a tremendously tough time for the Doster family, Vanderbilt University, and the teammates and coaches of Kwane Doster. We have all lost a dear person, a fine young man. The circumstances of it all make it just that much more difficult to deal with. Our thoughts and prayers are obviously with Kwane’s mother and her family. “We are very fortunate that Chancellor Gee and Vice Chancellor David Williams have agreed to charter an airplane for as many of our players that can get to Nashville to travel to Tampa for the service Friday afternoon. It will give our guys a chance to go there and pay their respects to Kwane and his family. We will start making our guys aware of that as soon as we can. The plane will be leaving early Friday morning. We need all of our players to contact us as soon as possible to see if they are going to be able to go.” As his coach, give us your impressions of Kwane? “He was a tremendous competitor, that’s what I remember most about Kwane. He not only competed on the field, he competed in the classroom. I was just as proud of Kwane’s academic achievements at Vanderbilt as I was his athletic prowess. Kwane took on a tough case academically here. He had to battle every year and did a great job doing it. I was so proud of him for that.” “Kwane had a great freshman year and everybody was on the bandwagon. Then, in his sophomore year, he had some troubles and didn’t quite get the numbers he had the year before. But what made me so proud of Kwane was that he really worked hard over the next summer to get better, worked hard to get stronger and became dedicated to getting his position back. I thought he had an outstanding year for our team this year.” Talk about when and how you received word? “I got a call from a family friend of Kwane’s a little before 5:00 a.m. That’s why I always have my phone on. You know those calls early in the morning aren’t going to be very good. I was just shocked and devastated. It was just hard to believe.” Coach, the players must be like your own kids. Do you ever remind them to try to stay away from trouble, even when they are on break? “Yes, I do. I tell them after every game, even after some practices. There are so many things in today’s world that can harm you and influence you the wrong way. But this one was really senseless and tragic and unreal.” How will you address the team? “It is difficult because everybody is not on campus. Our coaches are trying to call the players as promptly as possible, but I had players calling me very soon after I received the initial news. But good news, or bad news, travels very fast. I think most of our guys knew very early and had been talking to each other about it. “It’s tough that the team is not here together, leaning on each other and able to say how we feel. We will probably have our first opportunity as the team gathers to go down to the service, then not again until Jan. 9 when our players come back off the Christmas break. That’s a long time to go without seeing each other and sharing our thoughts and concerns. “I think our guys will rally. They know they have lost a very valuable teammate, but they also know they have lost a valued friend. That’s the key thing. This goes way beyond football — it’s not football related. It’s about being a human being.” Is this the most difficult situation you have faced in your coaching career? “Yes, without a doubt. I’ve had other things happen, but it’s the first time a violent act has taken a player away from us.” Coach, talk about the recruitment of Kwane Doster? “He was top notch. I remember seeing the first film when we got here. We were behind on recruiting and there’s Kwane on film. He’s running downfield and comes to a complete stop, actually takes two steps backward, and he’s immediately back to full speed. We all just sat around as coaches and said we’d be tremendously lucky if we were able to get that guy at Vanderbilt at this date. “But Kwane had some injuries his junior and senior year and was out of the recruiting picture with some schools. When he came up here to visit, he really liked it. Once he came here, he said he was going to battle this thing and make it. That told me a whole lot of about him.” Opening Statement from Erik Davis, Junior Receiver from Nashville, Tenn. “These last few days have been rough for me and my Vanderbilt family. You never think you’re going to get a phone call like this, especially on Christmas Day. You see this happen to other people, and you never think it’s going to happen to you. It’s just hard to deal with ? (Kwane) was like a brother to me.” “I’d do anything for him and he’d do anything for me. I’m sure it was like that with other guys on the team. It’s nothing you can learn to cope with when something as senseless as this happens for no reason at all. “It’s just real hard to deal with, knowing at spring ball, he’s not going to be there.” Talk about Kwane as one of the team’s quiet leaders? “Yes definitely, he put forth tremendous effort for his team. He would do anything for us. He was a hard worker that was prepared for anything. Talk a little about Kwane’s personality. “Once you got to know him, it was all about being a brother, about being close. I knew just about everything that was going on with him. He would come to my house. He called my mother ‘mom.’ That shows how close and how deep the well went between me and Kwane. “I would always act mad when Kwane would call me to come pick him up at the airport because he didn’t have a car. But, you never miss something until you don’t have it anymore. I guess I won’t be getting those phone calls now.” How did you find out? “A (relative of Doster) called my mother because they were good friends. You’ve never heard anything (until you’ve heard) two grown women crying?” |
