jason whitten is all about helping people, especially those caught up in domestic violence, somethingbecame familiar with growing up. and now he's making a difference in the lives of others as we hear from nbc's kristen dahlgren. >> sacked, he got it out to whitten. >> reporter: he found glory on the gridiron. >> whitten gets up, fired up. >> reporter: but for dallas cowboys tight end jason whitten, the sunday night lights are a long way from the small tennessee town where he escaped what he calls a sometimes difficult home life. >> it wasn't a situation where kids needed to be in that environment, you know. thank goodness my mom realized that and said, hey, we're getting out of this situation. >> reporter: whitten's grandparents took them in, and his grandfather who just so happened to be the high school football coach -- >> this is where it all started. >> reporter: -- ended up showing whitten as much off the field as on. >> i taught him things like you're supposed to open the door for a lady. and you're supposed to stand up when women come into the house. >> reporter: he also taugh