Bridging a gap between camp life, real world
When Michael Thomas decided to bring a football camp to his hometown a couple of years ago, he knew he wanted it to be different.
The former Nimitz standout, Stanford star and current Miami Dolphins safety clearly has chops for the game.
But he is so much more. And that’s what he wanted to pass along to the youth from his area.
This week, Thomas is hosting his third camp at Thorne Stadium. In addition to football drills and coaching, participants will go through ACT and SAT prep work, learn about various career opportunities and sit through a town hall meeting.
The camp has grown and changed since it began. It’s in tune with what is happening with the sport.
In the past NFL season, there was a shift. Athletes started to become activists.
Most commonly, several (including Thomas) started to kneel during the national anthem. That, Thomas said, was simply a symbol. The action behind it is what matters.
One of the actions Thomas has taken is through his football camp. He hopes conversations with the young men who attend can be a positive start.
During the town hall meeting Thursday, a 15-year old player from Aldine Davis asked Constable Alan Rosen to tell those in attendance exactly what they should do if pulled over by a police officer.
Rosen answered in detail, informing the players that if they started to get worried, they could respectfully ask for a supervisor to be present.
Thomas, 28, said when he was a teenager, no one had those types of conversations with him.
“Not formally,” he said. “If you did something wrong, a coach or your parents might talk to you, but I don’t think an adult ever sat me down and told me how to react.”
Thomas’ approach makes a lot of sense. It’s not invasive. It’s not preachy. It’s informative and creates a comfort level in the community.
Thomas doing his part
Thomas never saw himself as an activist. But after he heard and followed the news about a few young black men whose altercations with police led to their deaths, that changed.
“I didn’t set out to have a message, but things happened that really made me think,” Thomas said. “I thought how I didn’t want to just have an opinion; I wanted to do my part to help the problem.”
That starts in his community, but he hopes to expand it beyond that.
In addition to starting conversations about social issues, Thomas puts a major emphasis on education. The Stanfordeducated player doesn’t just provide common ACT and SAT prep courses for his campers. He also has various professionals come in to talk. He has had programmers and coders, executives and others.
In addition to providing guidance on how to pass tests and what careers are available, Thomas spends time teaching the players how to fill out college applications, work on writing essays and look up available scholarships.
“I knew when I started this that academics would be a big part of it,” Thomas said. “I value my education so much, and I want that for all of these young men.”
Right now, the camp is just in Aldine. Thomas could see expanding next year into whichever city he is playing. And someday, he’d like to extend that reach.
A need to know
“These are important things for young men to know,” Thomas said. “I’m very fortunate to be where I am, and I want to find ways I can give back.” He’s off to a great start. Thomas is much more than a football player. And he is doing his part to make sure others can say the same.