PITTSBURGH, Pa. - For years William Gay kept quiet. About his remarkable story. About his sometimes erratic play. About the personal tragedy that shaped him.While the Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback still refuses to take credit for the best stretch of his career on the field, he understands the time has come for him to speak up about his life off it.Orphaned as a child when his mother was shot and killed by his stepfather, the player who spent so long ducking the spotlight is now embracing it. The 29-year-old is using the platform his job provides to offer hope for those who are searching for the kind of support his mother never found.Gay has developed a close relationship with the Womens Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, becoming the spokesman for an app designed to help people identify if they are a victim of domestic violence and connect them to a local hotline. Hes even taken to tweaking his game uniform if it gets people to understand there is a way out.I dont care about a sport when it comes down to domestic violence, he said. This is real. Someone can lose their life to it. So Im not concerned about the sport. Im concerned about what happens in the world, what happens in real life.Its Gays way of honouring his mother Carolyn, who died when Gay was in second grade following a dispute with her husband. Gay ended up being raised by his extended family and did what he could to keep strangers at a distance. Maturity and a compelling need for his mothers passing to make a difference in the lives of others led him to open up.When he premiered a Public Service Announcement to announce the RUSafe app in October, he was surrounded by coach Mike Tomlin and his teammates. The Steelers recognized Gay as their 2014 Walter Payton Man of the Year, an honour he does his best to downplay. Hes just a small part of a growing movement.My mother, she never had the opportunity, Gay said. What Im doing now, Im doing for her.Including occasionally wearing purple cleats, a colour closely associated with the anti-domestic violence movement. Gay donned the footwear twice last month, demanding people notice after a 33-yard interception return for a score against Indianapolis led to one of the giddiest touchdown dances in recent memory.It was a celebratory moment and a watershed one for the defensive back whose personal and professional lives have at long last found peace.Gay started the season as an insurance policy and has evolved into a vital member of an injury-ravaged secondary. He will play in his 124th consecutive game Sunday when the Steelers (7-4) host the New Orleans Saints (4-7). Hes already tied a career high with two interceptions, both of which ended with him streaking across the goal line for a game-turning score.Hes highly underrated, longtime teammate Ike Taylor said. Hes got more touchdowns than a lot of receivers. ... Hes gotten really comfortable with himself and its showing.Gay really didnt have much of a choice. He was thrust into the starting lineup when Taylor went down with a broken forearm in Week 3, then became the No. 1 cornerback when Cortez Allens struggles led to his benching. His steady play has helped Pittsburgh put together a 4-1 run to stay in the thick of the AFC North, though Gay sidesteps the notion he took on a greater leadership role with Taylor and safety Troy Polamalu sidelined.Really I didnt because Ike was everywhere, Gay said. Timeouts he was in the huddle. When we were on the field he was giving us tendencies. There was never a moment we were alone. For me to say, Ive got to do this; Ive got to be the bigger brother. No. We still had Ike. We still had Troy on the sideline. They made it easy.The last two months have also served as a redemption of sorts on the field. Gay spent the first five years of his career in Pittsburgh mostly as a nickelback, winning a Super Bowl ring but also receiving a fair share of the blame when things went wrong. He spent one forgettable season in Arizona in 2012 before returning home. Hes repaid Pittsburghs confidence in full and then some.My job is to watch film and prepare, Gay said, and be ready for whatever comes.___Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . In the other Group A game, the Czech Republic stunned Canada, 5-4 in a shootout. Dominik Simon scored the deciding goal in the tiebreaker. The United States scored its first three goals on power plays. "Overall, I love to see the power-play goals we were able to get tonight," said U. MLB Jerseys 2020 Online . It was well worth the wait. Manning and the Denver Broncos waited eight long months, then another 33 minutes to get the season started because of a lightning storm. https://www.mlbjerseys2020.com/ . Spieth again showed game well beyond his 20 years with a 9-under 63 on the North Course, giving him a one-shot lead over Stewart Cink going into the weekend at the Farmers Insurance Open. Stitched Nike MLB Jerseys . It was well worth the wait. Manning and the Denver Broncos waited eight long months, then another 33 minutes to get the season started because of a lightning storm. MLB Jerseys 2020 . - The Washington Redskins have signed free agent offensive lineman Mike McGlynn.KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Martina Hingis won her first doubles title in seven years when she and Sabine Lisicki beat Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina 4-6, 6-4, 10-5 on Sunday at the Sony Open. The doubles title was the 38th for Hingis, a former No. 1 player, but her first since Doha in 2007. The final was the first for the 33-year-old Hingis since she came out of retirement last year to play doubles. Hingis said the championship makes her want to play more doubles. The title came three weeks after she and Lisicki lost in the first round at Indian Wells.dddddddddddd "Last week, I was like, Im not sure if I want to put myself out there like this and lose first, second round," Hingis said. "Now, after this victory, definitely things change. I would be very happy to continue to play some more doubles." Hingis also won Key Biscayne in 1998 and 1999 with Jana Novotna. She and Lisicki made the tournament as a wild-card entry. ' ' '