KILLEEN, Texas — What kid wouldn't want to catch touchdown passes or run routes with their favorite NFL player? For a group of kids in Killeen, that dream came true at Lions Club Park.
On Friday, July 7, a Super Bowl star made his way to town. Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay teamed up with Grind Sports Academy to hold a youth football camp inspiring young football players in the Central Texas area.
"Everywhere I go, I try to impact the kids. The kids are the future," said Slay. "They can change the world."
Growing up in Brunswick, Georgia, Slay is used to that small-town feel, and Killeen felt like home.
"I'm from a small town myself. A lot of kids get overlooked in the small towns, but I'm a kid from a small town and I'm just going to set the standard and have fun," Slay said.
Whether it's throwing touchdown passes or running routes, Slay did it all, because, at one point, he was a kid too.
"He's the same kid that came from the projects, the same kid that had the same struggles that any other kid has had in life," Daniel Lemon, Director of Grind Sports Academy, said. "To see him be able to forget about that and be a kid. It's awesome and it means a lot."
Grind Sports Academy has been a home for inspiring the youth through sports, and this was their first-ever youth football clinic.
"It's gonna be big. They're gonna know we put K-town on the map," Lemon said. "It's gonna be huge. Not just sports, but in everything we do. We created a platform here in Killeen. We mentor kids through sports, but these kids, when they leave here, they'll be able to encourage other friends. So, it's not just about sports. It's about these kids taking something from here, making them stronger and being able to share it with another kid."
Those kids will be able to share their experiences with other kids who might be going through the same struggles that Slay faced.
"In this generation, there is a lot of violence going on. One thing about me is I know when I was growing up sports kept me out of a lot of situations," Slay said. "So, I'm just trying to be a face of that. It's a great opportunity for me. I've been doing it for a long time, but I'm just trying to spread it out."
Slay is inspiring these future NFL stars, one snap at a time.
This may have been the first football camp for Grind Sports Academy, but they say chapter two is already loading.
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