 After he had learned to defend himself, his father told him not to pick fights at school, but said that if any student ever touched him aggressively, Hallilgan had his father's permission to defend himself.In February 2003, Halligan had a fight with a bully, which was broken up by the assistant principal; after that, the bully stopped bothering him.Halligan's father said that he was proud of his son for sticking up for himself.