Smith makes early impact

New WR promises to be a force in community.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Torrey Smith went to church with complete strangers recently

He wondered on Twitter whether he could join someone in Charlotte, N.C., his new city, at church. The following Sunday, he did just that, tagging along with a young man and his family for worship.

Smith’s arrival in Charlotte in March was about football. A trade brought him here, a product of the Panthers’ need at wide receiver and their hesitancy to enter the inflated free agency market at the position.

But because of who Smith is, that arrival can impact the city and the Carolinas in a way that transcends football.

Smith has made it a point to invest in each city in which he lives. He has already begun contacting leaders in Charlotte, talking to teammates about getting involved in local charities, and asking through social media how he can help.

Smith is articulate and outspoken. He’s also well-known for his charitable efforts in Baltimore, where he played for four years, and in Philadelphia, where last season he earned his second Super Bowl ring.

A lot can be learned from listening to him, and watching him.

Community is important to Smith. That starts with his own family, of whom he’s incredibly proud.

Smith grew up without a birth father and was raised in Virginia by his mother. She held two jobs and worked fiercely to keep him safe, building an unshakable bond between the two. Smith had to be a “father” to his younger siblings before he was 10 years old, and spent his mornings feeding, bathing and getting his brothers and sisters off to school.

“You know, my mother was very hardworking,” Smith said. “But there were MEET TORREY SMITH

■ Played three season at the University of Maryland… Finished his collegiate career ranked third in school history with 152 receptions and second with 2,215 receiving yards… Scored 19 total touchdowns for the Terrapins…Earned

First Team All-ACC honors as a junior in 2010…Named First Team All-ACC in 2009 at wide receiver and kickoff returner as a sophomore.

■ Attended Stafford High School in Falmouth, Va.

■ Won two Super Bowls in career (Super Bowl LII with Philadelphia, Super Bowl XLVII with Baltimore)

■ Three-time Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee (2013, 2014, 2016)

■ Totaled 266 catches for 4,521 yards (17.0 ypc) and 37 TDs in 92 career games, while posting 414 yards and 4 TDs on 20 catches in eight postseason contests.

■ Totaled eight career 100-yard receiving games in regular season.

■ Played in all 16 regular season games with 14 starts for Philadelphia in 2017… Recorded 36 catches for 430 yards and two touchdowns…Also started all three postseason games for the Eagles, reeling in 13 receptions for 157 yards and one touchdown.

times when we needed just a little bit of help.”

Sometimes they got that help through sports.

As his mother worked, coaches used to drive Smith back and forth from football practice and would ask him about his day.

“My coaches were kind of where my positive male role models were from, just watching how they were with their families and how they were with us,” he said. “Your coaches spend so much time with you. They were my ride home, and I was able to talk to them about things that bothered me, about school, about whatever.”

Those conversations made football into something much more emotionally important than “just a game.” They showed him how people can connect to each other and come together.

The experience also showed him how he can use the sport to help children who struggle to find their way. It showed him how to give. It showed him that he can have a voice in a world that so often tells young people in tough circumstances that they cannot.

Smith wants his own two young children to always feel seen, and to have every opportunity he didn’t. He

wants that for the children of every community he’s in. He wants them to have a voice.

And so when Smith spoke so eloquently on a recent Tuesday afternoon about social justice and giving back, it was an important moment.

What Smith showed in that interview is that even as a newcomer he can be a figurehead in this community.

He has a remarkable ability to raise the level of dialogue about issues that can often be mean-spirited and divisive. He can opine on these things and engage in respectful conversation, even on social media, while backing up his desire to help with action.

He’ll catch passes on Sundays, but that’s just what he does for a living.

Who he is, well, that’s something we should pay attention to.

“To whom much is given,” he said during his interview, “much is required.”

And Smith’s requirement of himself is to show children how promising their future can be, even if they need a little help to get there.

He’s an optimist and a giver. A clear and bright voice.

Charlotte is lucky to have him.