There was no doubting Dwayne Allen's sincerity as he stood before reporters during Thursday's news conference for an Indianapolis shelter for victims of domestic violence.
"It's very important that we all get together and ... end this terrible, terrible, silent epidemic," said Allen, the Indianapolis Colts tight end.
And then he fell silent for six seconds while he put his hand on his heart and gathered his emotions.
"Excuse me," Allen continued. "It's our job to step up to the plate and be those role models."
Allen wasn't asked to help the local shelter -- Coburn Place Safe Haven. Instead, he called them to volunteer his services to help raise awareness and donations. He's invested emotionally because his mother, Olivia Davis, was a victim while he was growing up in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Allen, who has five sisters and a brother, said the first "reoccurring" attacks came when he was between 4 and 6 years old at the hands of a stepfather. The next came when he was 11 and 12, from her boyfriend.
As a younger child, Allen said he would try to comfort his mother and wind up crying with her.
"You feel powerless," Allen said.
Domestic violence has become a front-burner topic in the NFL in recent weeks because of high-profile cases involving former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice and Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy.
"I was disappointed because a colleague was going through something and didn't handle it the right way," Allen said.
Allen said his mother's experiences have affected his adult life.
"Mom always said not to put my hands on a woman," Allen said. "That's one thing I take very seriously."
Allen said that although his mother had the personal and financial resources to escape her situations, many women do not. Calling it "an epidemic that usually goes silent," he cited statistics that say one in four women, one in seven men and "millions" of children are victims of domestic violence.
"It's our job [as NFL players] to step up to the plate and be those role models," Allen said. "It's about awareness."