By Nick Christophers
Tina Hoefer has released a tell-all book about her tragic experiences as girlfriend to San Diego Pro-linebacker, Shaun Phillips. The book delves into the pain and fear that Tina felt at the hands of Shaun especially after the birth of her twins, Marcus and Cameron. It took a lot of courage to pen this page turner that she hopes will educate other women who struggle with domestic violence.
The public who takes part in and enjoy sports at all levels whether it be hockey, football, baseball etc. do not usually see the darker side of it. Sometimes behind all that hype, glamour and eye-popping feats lies a darker side to many of these sports athletes.
No sport is without athletes who commit crimes or take part in illegal behavior. According to reports and the FBI the rate of NFL players arrested is 1 in 45. Which is not a small percentage. NHL and MLB players have a low rate of domestic abuse arrests. It seems that the NBA and NFL have the widest range of offenses—domestic abuse, reckless driving or behavior, DUI, assault and battery, and drug-related crimes.
Tina Hoefer is a testament to these crimes. At the start their courtship was rosy but after the birth of their children, Shaun seemed to change drastically. When the abuse took root, Tina noticed that Shaun was given preferential treatment and was never accountable for his behavior towards her.
“You can’t even imagine how many times I went to police stations, reporting violent incidents and nothing was ever done. I even called dozens of nonprofit organizations with Hotlines set up to help, but never any meaningful follow-up. I once received a call back 5 days later. Come on! In five days, I could have been dead. NFL teams spend numerous hours training the athletes to run plays, of course, to increase their bottom-line. They train and train to be sure the athlete knows exactly what to do in every on field instance, but there isn’t much done to help these young men, some of them from troubled environments, to become better people.”
Besides the abuse and lack of acting as a father, Tina had to deal with medical issues was when her twins were born prematurely and needed medical assistance. Marcus had a Level 3 bleed on his brain, and Cameron had to be fed through a tube because of his stomach issues. Tina had to deal with the medical bills on her own while the father was a multi-millionaire. To this day according to Tina, Shaun is arrears for thousands in over an eighteen-year period. These are just two elements that she touches upon in her book “Clutches”.
Tina decided to bring her experiences to the public and create an awareness by organizing a tour with close friends titled “KNOW YOUR POWER!”. The tour would promote awareness like the prevention of physical as well as psychological abuse, and the children that have been affected because of these types of relationships. She would encourage everyone to know that they have an inner strength and the power to do whatever they set out to do.
She also took upon herself to take up marksmanship to protect herself and her children. It was not an easy decision for someone who is not inherently violent. The upside at least is that her twins have excelled in education and have a bright future ahead of them. Marcus is president of his dorm. He has an internship at a finance company. Marcus was just one of five students out of approximately twenty thousand students that were chosen to attend a leadership conference in Los Angeles, California. Cameron is excelling in business development at his college. He has people offering him jobs, pre-graduation.
So far, the book has received positive feedback and has garnered a 5-star rating. Tina’s book is about a real-life struggle with tragic events but also shows the strength and will to carry on despite the odds. Below is the link to the book. Don’t miss out on this tragic but educational page turner.
