Monday was a special day for Damian Rodriguez. In fact, it was a special day for the Rodriguez family.
And it was also a day that the Chattanooga Football Club – yet again – backed up its community focus.
The club announced that it had signed the younger Rodriguez, who recently graduated from Dalton as a two-time state champion with the Catamounts’ soccer team, to a professional contract to remain with the club in 2022 for his second season. More importantly though, it announced that his deal will include an educational stipend that will cover Rodriguez’s college tuition in addition to playing.
“For me, that’s very important because I’m going to be the first one in my family to graduate college,” said Rodriguez, who added his father, also named Damian, was just as excited as he was. “I’m grateful for this opportunity. I’m thankful because I’ll be playing the sport I love while still getting an education. That’s important for me and my family.
“We’ve always talked about graduating college.”