Tom DeBlass is a veteran BJJ competitor and one of the most well-respected coaches in the sport, and he’s just announced the decision to start an anti-bullying initiative too. During his competitive career, DeBlass managed to reach the highest point of no gi submission grappling by competing at the ADCC world championships on several occasions. Since choosing to focus more on coaching, he’s worked with some of the best competitors on the planet like Garry Tonon and Gordon Ryan to help them develop into the stars they are today.
Just recently DeBlass was moved to take action on bullying and start the latest of many non-profit BJJ organizations to help combat it:
“I will post my plan to combat bullying in a video on Monday. This will 100% change bullying in the United States. I PROMISE YOU. I have some very powerful men supporting this cause. I mean heavy hitters in this world. The school districts cannot handle it. Myself along with a group of powerhouses nationwide will be teaming up with Jiu-Jitsu schools nationwide and developing a plan. We will have thousands of members, it’s non-profit, it will be a group of like-minded individuals. Stay tuned.”
He isn’t the first combat sports athlete to get involved in this either, as UFC legend Georges St-Pierre has been open about his experiences with bullying and has made great efforts to raise money to help deal with it. It’s even a common theme among BJJ competitors as well, as Rener Gracie has attempted to raise money for the cause in the past as well. Tom DeBlass is doing something slightly different to other BJJ black belts though and instead of raising money, he’s actually working with many others to start his own anti-bullying initiative instead. Shortly after the initial announcement, he gave a bit more information on how he’s setting it up:
“I bought my website name last night for my bullying movement. Talked to a woman from the NY Post who caught wind of what we were doing. We will be setting the website up over the next couple of weeks. This will give us a better way of communicating with individuals regarding the cause.”
“On board we have Law enforcement, Seals, Marines, 1%ers, Ex 1%ers, Jiu-Jitsu black belts, and more that cannot be posted. It’s a beautiful thing when everyone comes together.”
“The website is being worked on now. I appreciate the hundreds of DMs to all those who want to be a part. You will have your chance. In the meantime, just look around your own town. Ask around. Are there any bullied children? If so, extend a hand.”
Tom DeBlass revealed the news of his new BJJ anti-bullying initiative in a series of posts to his official Instagram account, and the announcement video can be seen below:
