https://youtu.be/B5tmlcCNBB4
Aretha. National Anthem. The Piano. That Voice. Game Over.
Posts tagged as “nfl”
article via bossip.com
New York Jets player Jarvis Jenkins hung up his cleats to pick up a book in order to show a group of Harlem kids the importance of reading.
The defensive end was at the International Barbershop on Malcolm X Boulevard in New York City’s uptown neighborhood Sept. 27, where he read the children’s book “The Adventures of Captain Underpants,” to students from nearby Alain L. Locke Magnet School For Environmental Stewardship. The Clemson alumni also donated a mini library of children’s books to the shop.
“The main thing I want to do is tackle literacy,” the athlete turned reading advocate told BOSSIP. “There’s more to life than just Instagram. There’s more to life than just Facebook. I wanted to give them a platform where they can learn, and still have fun.”
Jenkins, who has been in the NFL for six years, said he wanted the kids to see that reading outside of school was fun, and that they should take advantage of their idle time waiting to get their hair cut by reading for pleasure.
“When I used to go to barbershops with my dad, I used to bring a toy,” Jenkins said. “I used to bring a Game Boy and sit there. When you’re sitting there with this free time, why not pick up a book?”
Nonprofit Barbershop Books helps kids – especially young boys – become more active readers by creating reading spaces inside local barbershops, said founder Alvin Irby. “We’re increasing boys’ access to engaging books, and we’re increasing the amount of time boys are reading outside school,” Irby, who has his own children’s book Gross Greg coming out next month, said.
Following the read aloud, Jenkins also gave the kids a few life lessons, but not before lacing the budding readers with some Jets swag. “It took my dad to stay on me to understand education is important,” the South Carolina native, 28, told the children. “You can go far in life, but make sure you get your education. Education is key.”
To read more, go to: http://bossip.com/1359074/a-lil-positivity-ny-jets-jarvis-jenkins-sponsors-reading-center-for-kids-at-harlem-barbershop/
article by Natasha Alford via thegrio.com
In the midst of controversy over his protest of the national anthem, Colin Kaepernick is using the spotlight to address the issues he says inspired his stance.
At Thursday night’s preseason game against the San Diego Chargers, Kaepernick pledged a $1 million dollar donation to groups which address issues of racial and social inequality.
He didn’t offer specific details about which groups would receive donations but explained his intentions.–Veterans show support for football star with #VeteransForKaepernick tweets “I’ve been very blessed to be in this position and to be able to make the kind of money that I do and I have to help these people,’’ said Kaepernick. “I have to help these communities. It’s not right that they’re not put in the position to succeed or given those opportunities to success.’’
Kaepernick also recently joined forces with his girlfriend, Hot 97 radio personality Nessa Diab, to donate $60,000 worth of backpacks to students in Harlem and the South Bronx. As part of his six-year, $114,000,000 deal with the 49ers, Kaepernick’s base salary this year is $11.9 million dollars.
To read full article, go to: Colin Kaepernick pledges $1 million donation to charity for needy communities | theGrio
Colin Kaepernick, quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, chose not to stand for the National Anthem at a recent pre-season football game. Players are not required to stand under NFL rules, and Kaepernick was clear about his reasons to remain seated, stating ”I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” Subsequently, he has given interviews about his decision, and the well-thought out reasons behind it.
While Kaepernick has seen some support, he has also faced enormous backlash for his decision – from pundits, from current and former NFL players, from the San Francisco Police Officers’ Association, and predictably, he has been skewered mercilessly on Twitter and in the online commentary sections of various websites.
Some of the online criticism has been of the typically jingoistic “my country – love it or leave it” or “my country – right or wrong” variety that tends to become prevalent when legitimate protest involves the flag, the Pledge of Allegiance or the National Anthem. And these types of criticism are particularly troubling, because they are designed to tell people “you can’t be a good American if you don’t honor this symbol in a particular way.”
I have spent the majority of my career working for the federal government. I am proud to work in a building where the American flag flies, and where pictures of the President and Vice-President are in the lobby. I understand the power and meaning of symbols. And it precisely the power and meaning of symbols that makes protests involving them so resonant – and necessary. I don’t know much about football, but I do know something about the First Amendment. Kaepernick’s actions are fully-protected free speech, and the type of peaceful public protest that has been central to social justice movements.
And for those whose response to Kaepernick is “my country — right or wrong,” it’s time to look at the response to that quote by US Senator Carl Schurz in 1899. Schurz decried the statement as “a deceptive cry of mock patriotism”, and went on to state that the “welfare of this and coming generations of Americans will be secure only as we cling to the watchword of true patriotism: ‘Our country — when right to be kept right; when wrong to be put right.’”
Kaepernick saw something he thought was wrong in his country. Like generations of Americans before him, he engaged in a peaceful public protest to bring attention to that wrong, and to make a statement as to how it needed to be put right. And for that he should not be vilified, but applauded.
The first cohort of graduates have received their degrees from the Executive MBA for Artists and Athletes program at the University of Miami in Florida. Some 30 current or former players in the National Football League, most of them African Americans, were among the program’s first graduating class.
Source: Thirty NFL Players Complete an Executive MBA Program at the University of Miami : The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
Los Angeles Rams players and officials Wednesday helped build a playground at an elementary school in Inglewood, CA. Ellina Abovian reports for the KTLA 5 News at 3 on June 15, 2016. Click through to see video of the story:
Source: L.A. Rams Help Build Playground in Inglewood | KTLA
article by Zach Helfand via latimes.com
When former Trojans quarterback Pat Haden was hired as USC’s athletic director in 2010, the university’s marquee sports programs were in deep trouble, having been hammered by NCAA sanctions for rules violations.
On Wednesday, USC chose another of its former football stars, Lynn Swann, to succeed Haden. Swann’s main task — to restore luster to football, USC’s signature sport — will be challenging but not nearly as daunting as that faced by Haden upon his arrival.
Swann, a member of the college and pro football halls of fame, is the third consecutive Trojans football player to lead USC’s athletics program; Haden’s predecessor, Mike Garrett, was a Heisman Trophy-winning running back.
The storied football program, which claims 11 national championships and produces millions in annual revenue, has been in a state of upheaval since former coach Pete Carroll left just before the NCAA imposed its penalties. The Trojans have had four head coaches since Carroll’s departure in 2009 to lead the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.
Now, the team has a new coach, Clay Helton, who is under a long-term contract and again has all its scholarships, plus a relatively new state-of-the-art football facility and a home field that will be undergoing a $270-million face-lift.
Swann’s appointment was announced in a letter from university President C.L. Max Nikias to the campus community on Wednesday. In it, Nikias predicted Swann would “bring the heart and soul of a Trojan to his position.”
Swann, 64, will be formally introduced during a news conference on campus Thursday morning. In a statement released after Nikias’ announcement, Swann said his goals for USC athletes would be to “graduate, to win and to experience.”
Swann was a star receiver for the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, but his experience in major college administration, or lack thereof, drew substantial criticism in the wake of USC’s announcement. Yahoo sports columnist Pat Forde referred to USC as “The University of Self Congratulation.” Another noted that he couldn’t find that the former Pittsburgh Steelers star had “been doing anything the past decade.”
article by Juliet Spies-Gans via huffingtonpost.com
“Hey, be good. Be good. You know what, be good. Be good!”
For Russell Wilson, one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, that phrase is so crucial that he repeated it three times while talking to The Huffington Post. Each time with a different emphasis, each time with increasing resound.
Be good.
The words are easy to say, but harder to heed. So the 27-year-old NFL star, guided by his strong faith and devotion to inner-city communities, decided it was time to prove that he, too, was living by the motto.
That’s where the Good Man Brand came in. With the coolly confident goal of inspiring an entire generation, Russell Wilson is teaming up his Good Man Brand with his Why Not You Foundation to launch something they hope will better lives. Using a business model similar to that of TOMS — a company known for its policy of “buy-one, give-one” — Good Man Brand opens its doors with the promise that for every item sold, it will share its profits with a charity of choice.
The “Good Man Brand” is promising that $3 from every purchase will go to charity — and he’s committing now to assisting inner-city education, a cause personally selected by Wilson and his team for the tangible, immediate impact it can have on inner-city children all over the nation.
As Wilson sees it, this is the blueprint for how he and the foundation can begin to “make a major difference in the world.” And as Wilson sees it, the beauty of the brand is that it enables its customers, along with the company, to make a difference.
That is, it gives the gift of giving right back to those getting the goods, as they suddenly have the power to make waves in the community, to “be good” to the kids around them, simply by ringing up a sweater at the register.
“We’re trying to change the way and the attitude of a culture,” Wilson told HuffPost on Sunday. “Ultimately, this brand is going to help change people’s lives.”
“We’re trying to inspire people, give back and make a culture change,” he added.
Through one brand giving back, every customer gives back — it’s the business model incarnation of a slogan that’s been in our collective subconscious for decades: all for one and one for all.
For the team behind the brand, how you become that titular “good man” comes back to that omnipresent, crucial No. 3 — the same number that’s plastered on the back of Wilson’s Seattle Seahawks jersey and the number of dollars donated from every item sold: “The good man leads, the good man inspires, and the good man lives a good life.”
Lead. Inspire. Live. Supporting good by “sporting good.” The mottos and mantras of the Good Man Brand are seemingly endless, but even with the surfeit of slogans, they all share one quality in common: Each encourages customers to go from passive to active, to not just sport the clothes, but support the cause — to ask themselves, “What good will you do today?”
To read more, go to: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/russell-wilson-good-man-brand-launch_us_56d46b17e4b0871f60ec0c4d
article by Ny MaGee via eurweb.com
Hair care brand Pantene enlisted NFL stars to create “dad dos” for their little darlings in a series of how-to hair videos, PeopleStyleWatch notes.
Featured in the video are Pittsburgh Steelers’ DeAngelo Williams, the New Orleans Saints’ Benjamin Watson and the Dallas Cowboys’ Jason Witten. The video series is part of the brand’s “Strong Is Beautiful” campaign, which highlights the importance of father and daughter bonding.
“Research shows that quality time spent with dads is key in raising daughters who are more self-confident, self-reliant and more successful in school and in their careers,” Pantene says in a press release.
Check out the clips below to see the footballers attempt to create their daughters’ requested hairstyle — twisted pigtails, braided pigtails, a ballerina bun and a princess puff. The hilarious results may not be perfect but the memorable moment these dads share with their daughters will certainly last a lifetime.
“We hope our new series of how-to videos shows dads how easy and fun it can be to spend quality time with their daughters by doing their hair,” Jodi Allen, a vice president for P&G, says in a release. “The quality time spent with their daughters now will foster the next generation of strong and beautiful women.”
“My hands get a little bit in the way,” says the Dallas Cowboys’ Jason Witten as he fails miserably at creating a ballerina-style bun on his 3-year-old daughter, Landry.
While the “dad do” results aren’t always perfect, they are beyond precious. And hey, as these dads know better than anyone, you can always throw on a helmet (daddy/daughter bike ride, anyone?) to cover any number of hair sins.
Check out the videos below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgdYPllFXes&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SG3Y-_2Yj0&w=560&h=315]
Leah Still, the 5-year-old daughter of NFL defensive end Devon Still, will be discharged from the hospital Tuesday after completing her final cancer treatment.
Her pops tweeted the good news on Monday, saying, “She really beat cancer!
She really beat cancer! Beyond thankful for all the support y’all showed us
— Devon Still (@devonjstill) January 12, 2016
It’s crazy to sit here in the hospital know that after leah gets discharged tomorrow we are really done with this chapter in our lives
— Devon Still (@devonjstill) January 12, 2016
Leah was diagnosed with Stage-4 neuroblastoma in June 2014. With a 50-50 chance of survival, Leah was being treated at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The former Cincinnati Bengals and current Houston Texans player has been documenting his daughter’s journey on social media using the hashtag #LeahStrong.
Still also shared the number of hours and days Leah spent battling cancer.
“41 days of chemotherapy, 40 days of antibody therapy, 19 days of radiation, 7 hours surgery and 1 win!” a photo he shared on Twitter stated.
Read more at http://www.eurweb.com/2016/01/devon-still-announces-daughter-leah-really-beat-cancer/#OhjXkgD9Hxufib0g.99