Scarborough shootings, personal experience compel Shamawd Chambers to speak out

For Edmonton Eskimos' receiver and already-impressive 2012 first-round draft pick Shamawd Chambers, shootings in the Toronto area are much more than just statistics. Chambers' brother Jonathan was kidnapped, held hostage and murdered when Shamawd was just 17 in a 2007 incident later termed a "drug deal gone bad" by the judge who sent Lenworth Anthony Spence to prison for the killing. The Chambers family didn't know how Jonathan got into dealing cocaine, but they still miss him and have been tremendously impacted by the violence that claimed his life. That likely played a substantial role in Chambers' decision to speak out on Twitter about gun violence Tuesday in the wake of Monday night's Scarborough shootings that left Shyanne Charles and Joshua Yacey dead and saw 23 others injured. Here's what Chambers had to say:

For some context, here's an interview Chambers and his family did with The Score's D.J. Bennett in 2010 about how they were coping with Jonathan's loss:

It can't be easy for Chambers to discuss these kinds of topics at all. He and his family have gone through a horrifying, personally scarring experience that's just a few newspaper headlines to most. Moreover, most athletes are expected to avoid talking about controversial social issues like gun violence publicly; it's much easier and less problematic to just post highlight videos or talk about your most recent workout. Chambers deserves credit for taking a big leap and boldly discussing a serious issue like this, though, and he makes some solid points. It must have been difficult for him to talk about this with his brother's death remaining so fresh, but he decided to do it anyway, and that's admirable. It's well-known that he's a remarkable athlete, but he wants to be more than that, and perhaps being a role model is a path for him to pursue. Maybe his comments will inspire some, convincing them to move beyond the cycles of violence. Chambers' life will be forever affected by what happened to his brother, but here's hoping that he's able to help keep others from similar fates.