Players’ game cleats offer support for social causes
In the midst of the turmoil roiling the NFL over President Trump’s continued criticism of some players’ national anthem protests, the league’s second annual “My Cause My Cleats” week has arrived.
USA TODAY talked to five NFL players who chose causes dealing with the issues of social injustice, crime, police, kids and schools. Here are their stories.
Michael Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals defensive end
My cause: Bringing children together with the police among various programs of his MJ93 Fund, a Michael Johnson Foundation.
My cleats: “I am part of the solution,” featuring children and the police holding hands.
“With Colin Kaepernick doing what he did, taking a knee, he opened up the conversation. I remember speaking with my dad last year and asking him, ‘Should I kneel?’ He earned a Purple Heart as a Marine in Vietnam and his parents were sharecroppers and at first he said he didn’t care whether I did or not, but then he came back and said to me, ‘Colin has knelt, he’s done that. That’s been done. There’s more to do.’
“When I was growing up in Alabama, my mom and dad taught me to have a vision. I had to set goals. I’m so blessed. So when I came to Cincinnati, I started working with kids here. I had a lot of requests, so my mom said I needed to officially start something so we could do even more. That’s how we started the foundation. The age group we focus on is fifth through eighth grade. That’s a big transition age. We bring in 20-30 kids for stadium tours. I talk to them and spend time with them. We talk about overcoming obstacles and making good decisions. We even recently spent time putting together care packages to send to the areas affected by the hurricanes.
“With the issues Colin brought up, we wanted to bring in the police as well and bring the kids together with a few police officers so they could ask each other questions and just be around each other. A lot of times, kids have a fear of the police. I wanted the students to learn about the proper way to conduct themselves if they are approached by the police. I want them to learn about what to do if their rights have been violated. I want kids and the police to be able to talk to each other. I found out that the Cincinnati police department wants to create a mentorship program between the kids and police. They said they were motivated by what we’re doing. That’s amazing.
“Colin did a great thing by opening up the conversation. Every day I ask myself, ‘Am I part of the problem? Or am I part of the solution?’ We all need to ask ourselves that question every day.”
Brian Poole,
Atlanta Falcons cornerback
My cause: Working with children of incarcerated parents through Eagle Ranch, a community helping children and families going through crisis. My cleats: A photo of Poole and his father.
“My father went to federal prison on drug-related charges when I was in kindergarten and didn’t get out until I was in the eighth grade. I always played sports, football and basketball, and that was tough without my dad. All the other kids were going to the games with their moms and dads, but it was just me and my mom. I’d look over and see all the parents cheering, and my dad was never there.
“When I was in high school, he was back, and it made my support system a lot better, having two parents instead of one. He had missed so much time, I was just happy to have him there. He owns a trucking business now. He doesn’t come to every one of my games now, but a good bit of them.
“I meet with kids in Atlanta and I tell them my story. I’m no different than them. I didn’t come from a whole lot. I didn’t have a college fund. I’m big on letting kids know the type of family I came from.
“I’m talking to them in first-person. I’m not telling them things people told me. I’m telling them things that happened to me. If your parents are locked up, well, my dad was locked up. I really know. I really understand where you’re coming from. I grew up without my dad, but I’m here. I made it. If your parent is incarcerated, you can still do it.”
Demario Davis,
New York Jets linebacker
My cause: Partnering with the United Way on his Devoted Dreamers Academy, an annual seven-week summer mentoring camp for kids in Jackson, Miss.
My cleats: United Way.
“In Mississippi where I grew up, there are a lot of kids in impoverished areas who are falling through the cracks. My goal is to catch those kids. We focus on 50-60 kids each summer entering fifth grade to entering eighth. It’s my pride and joy. As soon as the football season is over, I start preparing for that summer’s camp.
“I grew up in poverty. It was tough. I remember times my mom was working two and a half to three jobs to support us. That’s just the norm. You don’t realize you’re living in an impoverished way until you get out and see the rest of the world.
“A lot of my friends fell through the cracks. A lot of the same decisions my friends made, I made too. But I had a good mom and I got lucky. A lot of guys I hung out with were way more talented than me, but they didn’t go to college because of grades or they got into crime or drugs or some other trouble.
“This season, our team has locked arms during the anthem. I think it’s good that we are focusing on a lot of issues, especially in the African-Ameri- can community and impoverished areas. I’m a firm believer that we have to move towards a solution. That’s exactly what my program does. We find areas where kids are falling behind and get in front of the problem.”
Matt LaCosse,
New York Giants tight end
My cause: SocialWorks, Chance the Rapper’s youth empowerment charity in Chicago.
My cleats: Chicago Public Schools, Chicago flag and skyline.
“I grew up in Naperville, in the Chicago suburbs, but my two best friends grew up on the west side of Chicago and were a part of the Chicago public school system until they moved to Naperville. I met them both freshman year. Their names are Antonio Owens and Xavier Garcia, and we were teammates all through high school.
“I’ve heard their stories and I’ve heard their struggles. They had to worry about walking to school and all the gang violence. They talked about how poorly funded the Chicago public schools are and how disadvantaged they are. This wasn’t something that I necessarily knew that much about as a kid growing up, but it was something two people I really care about lived with, so their stories inspired me to take up this cause.
“The NFL sometimes gets a bad rap. A lot of people don’t look at all the good the players, the coaches and the ownership are doing for our country and their communities.”
Brandon Graham, Philadelphia Eagles defensive end
My cause: Hosts his Select 100 football camp for high school boys and girls in Detroit and is in his second year of working with RISE (Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality).
My cleats: RISE.
“I didn’t kneel. Putting my efforts toward helping kids in Detroit, my hometown, and in Philadelphia during the season, that’s powerful enough for me. But I definitely support Colin Kaepernick making that stand. We are all looking for change in our communities. We don’t want to see bad things happen to people of whatever color.
“With all the controversy this season, people don’t highlight the good stuff that’s going on. We have such a platform through sports to influence a lot of people.
“Some people grew up hating people they don’t even know. If we really get to know people, to understand people’s stories, to sit down and get to know somebody, that’s how we’re going to change things for the better.”