‘A Real Good Man’: Community Reflects After Holt Senior Killed

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Holt High School football coach Curtis Graves was sleeping when he felt his phone begin to buzz early Saturday morning. Knowing good news rarely, if ever, comes at such a quiet hour, he immediately knew the call had to be urgent.

It was the mother of one of his players, calling to tell him there had been an accident in Northport. Once on the scene, he learned one of his athletes, senior defensive end Ha’Keem Goodman, had been pronounced dead shortly after the crash. The fatal wreck came just three days after his 18th birthday.

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“I was putting on shoes and screaming and crying — my son had to take me to the scene,” Graves recalled in an interview with Patch. “[Goodman] and his twin brother Ja’Keem are always kind of together and when I see his brother come toward me without Ha’Keem, it’s just tough.”

Northport Police Department Assistant Chief Keith Carpenter told Patch the accident was still under investigation as of Tuesday morning by the department’s accident reconstruction unit and the cause remains unclear. Carpenter said 911 received the initial call of a single-vehicle wreck on Airport Road near Van de Graaf Park at 3:06 a.m. Saturday morning. The vehicle reportedly left the road and struck a tree, also resulting in three others receiving minor injuries.

Tonya Goodman-James, Ha’Keem’s mother, told Patch she had been in contact with forensics officials as of Tuesday morning and said plans for memorial services have not been set.

INSEPARABLE BONDS

“This is so hard for us all,” Goodman-James told Patch. “My babies were born Dec. 16, 2002 — Ha’Keem Malik 6 p.m. and Ja’Keem Tyrik 6:01 p.m,” she said. “Ha was premature, had to go straight to the NICU. I couldn’t hold him, couldn’t touch him.”

She then said the doctor released her and Ja’Keem, but informed the mother that Ha’Keem had to stay another day or two.

“I couldn’t break my dudes up,” she said. “Doctor said we’ll let them stay together. When they was released they had them in Christmas stockings. So cute! Ha was amazing. He wore his heart on his shoulders. His smile and laughter was nothing but wonderful. Ha was the serious twin. He wasn’t quick to smile, but when he did. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus … this is hard.”

Ha’Keem Goodman (right) poses for a photo with his twin brother Ja’Keem (Photo courtesy of Tonya Goodman-James)

Amid an outpouring of support from the Holt community and beyond, Goodman’s impact on those around him can be easily noticed. By all accounts, Goodman was a model student at his school and standout leader among the youth of Beulah Baptist Church. He was also a two-sport star for the Holt Ironmen in basketball and football, with dreams of playing in the college ranks, while maintaining a tenacious dedication to his family and responsibilities.

According to Graves, who coached Goodman and his brother during their time at Holt, the young man also worked 30-40 hours a week as a team leader at the McDonald’s on Rice Mine Road and never missed a beat in the classroom or on the practice field.

“He was managing like a grown person … work, football practice, online work,” the coach said of Goodman’s schedule. “Or practice, work, online. I know it became grueling to him. I pointed it out to the kids a lot. He does it every day and makes it to practice — y’all don’t have an excuse.”

Graves spent countless hours with Goodman and saw his leadership abilities develop over the course of those three years. During that time, he witnessed a boy become a man and set an example at Holt High School that is likely to live on for years to come.

AN IRON MAN

Graves first took over at Holt in 2018. Coming off back-to-back winless seasons for the Ironmen, the new coach was left with next to no options and even less enthusiasm as he set out to build a winner.

“I only had four players at the first practice and he was one of the first ones,” Graves said of Goodman. “We got in my car and drove around and rounded up kids to come to practice.”

Success has been sparse for the Ironmen over the last decade, with Holt winning only 15 games since 2010. But in examining a program that posted numerous winless seasons in years prior, Graves — with the help of athletes like Goodman — has managed to avoid a goose egg in the left-hand column over three seasons, posting an overall record of 6-24 and showing signs of a program on the rise.

Ha’Keem Goodman was a three-year starter at defensive end for the Holt Ironmen (Photo courtesy of Curtis Graves, Holt High School)

From that first day of practice with only four athletes, Graves said Goodman was an immediate contributor and three-year starter on defense, while also playing on the offensive line his junior and senior seasons. It was from the defensive end spot, though, that Goodman would make his name, gathering 106 tackles, 6 sacks, 11 hurries, and 3 forced fumbles over the course of his career.

“By the time his senior year rolled around he was truly considered a real iron man because he was going both ways,” Graves said. “In practice, he never cut on sprints. He knew he had to condition himself to play on both sides. He was a vocal leader and held everybody accountable, including himself. If he messed up, he would punish himself with push-ups or running after practice. He motivated young guys and encouraged them.”

Goodman was named team captain his senior year, which saw the Ironmen finish 2-8 during a pandemic-addled season.

Graves said despite the team being undermanned and facing the challenges posed by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Goodman shined on the gridiron enough to garner the attention of some coaches at smaller colleges.

According to sources, Goodman had received financial packets from a couple of Division III schools to play football, as well as a Division II offer. Goodman’s mother said one school he had received a full scholarship to attend was D-III Eureka College in Illinois.

Graves said he had also been in talks with Faulkner University in Montgomery, “setting up visits to see if we could get him a little closer [to home].”

Goodman-James agreed, saying her son had informed her and his Dad last week that he didn’t think he was ready to go that far off without his brother.

“My babies had celebrated their 18th birthday December 16 and couldn’t wait to get matching tattoos saying ‘My Brothers Keeper For Him I’ll Risk it ALL,'” she said.

A GOOD MAN’S LEGACY

Off the field, the tough defensive line star was described as a tender-hearted and involved member of his church.

Beulah Baptist Church Deacon Jack Clark told Patch in an interview that Goodman had been in the church’s youth auxiliary — The Crusaders — since he was in the sixth grade.

“Everyone in the church thought a lot of Ha’Keem,” Clark said. “We worked with him, he worked and he learned the scriptures. He knew Christ. I just can’t say enough good things about him. It hurt one of the counselors so bad they just broke down and cried.”

Clark said while the Beulah Baptist Church family is aware of the struggles brought by life, it has been difficult to adjust to the news. Losing a loved one is never easy, but Clark spoke to the rare character displayed by the young man he watched grow up.

“We never had any trouble out of Ha’Keem,” he said. “He would help when it was the Crusaders’ time to do the devotion or when they went to conferences and the boys competed learning the scriptures.”

A leader among the youth at his church, Goodman served as president of the youth auxiliary, while his brother served as vice president.

“I said you can’t let your brother outdo you,” Clark said. “Because they had that brother competition thing going.”

The football star was also commended for his knowledge of the scripture, with Clark reflecting fondly on one moment in particular, saying Goodman’s favorite Bible verse was a notable one.

‘When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.’

– 1 Corinthians 13:11. New King James Version.

“He used to get a kick out of that because he wanted to be a man so bad,” Clark laughed. “Some guys stand back and be shy, but you push Ha’Keem a little bit and he would come up to the line every time. That’s what hurts. We’ve got some kids that need leaders in their own peers. We got kids that need that. Ha’Keem fit the example of a good leader. He was a great leader. “

Graves also said the legacy Goodman left in church will likely be mirrored in the Holt football program moving forward due to the imprint left by the hard-working lineman.

Ha’Keem Goodman (50) and Ja’Keem Goodman (4) were joined by their parents for senior night at Holt High School this year (Photo courtesy of Tonya Goodman-James)

“I know he would like to make sure every kid follows his example as far as putting in the hard work and the dedication to the craft to have the chance to be successful,” he said. “We just had all these adversities transpire, but he always stayed the course, leading by example. Ran every sprint hard. If he made a mistake, he was the first one to hold himself accountable. That’s the legacy he’ll leave.”

For Graves on Tuesday, a flood of memories continued to flow on social media as the community mourns the loss of such a promising life.

“It was tough, I’m not saying I’m getting over it, I come across pictures and photos on social media, or videos, I don’t even remember shooting them and get teary-eyed,” he said. “His last name was Goodman, but he was a real good man. He was the guy to root for.”

Goodman-James, on the other hand, has made it a point over the years to take as many photos as possible of her family and would answer her reluctant son by saying “they’re worth a lifetime of memories.”

During a Christmas season where so many are facing challenges, the year has been particularly tough on Goodman-James and her family. Even little reminders during the holiday season are both painful and comforting as a grieving family takes stock in the wake of heartbreak.

“We recently had a house fire on November 7 and have been staying with several different family members and on December 17, they all helped my parents put their Christmas tree up and Ha was so excited about fixing the angel on the tree,” Goodman-James said. “Every day since our baby left his earthly home we can’t help but cry, cry, cry looking at our guardian angel.”

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