His old coach invested in us kids. I m forever grateful, Sutton said. That man did so much for us. It was like teaching you life through basketball. It wasn t just about basketball. It was about life.
His appreciation of the game led him to coach inner-city youth basketball for years.
When his older son, Dorian, was bullied in high school, Sutton drew from that experience and his coaching background to start a youth mentoring and anti-bullying program. He held sessions in Columbus city schools and even made a few appearances on local news broadcasts, teaming up for a time with Cabot Rea, a now-retired anchor with WCMH-TV (Channel 4), who had started a Battle Against Bullying effort.