The recent interview with Ravens receiver Jeremy Maclin made headlines for the news that he received the news of his termination from the Chiefs by voicemail. But Maclin said other things that merit attention.
Even after a hectic 15 days, which saw him cut by Kansas City, courted by Buffalo and others, and signed by the Ravens, and whisked away to mandatory minicamp, Maclin has followed through with his annual football camp, presented by the JMac Gives Back foundation. Maclin explained his objectives for the foundation and its Saturday camp during Thursday’s PFT Live.
“It’s basically to help kids in alternative living situations, whether it’s adopted kids, single parent homes, things along those lines,” Maclin said. “It’s basically just to give back to the kids. Lot of the kids come from the same neighborhood I grew up in. Lot of single-parent homes, lot of kids being raised by grandparents, and stuff like that.
“It’s all about seeing the face,” Maclin explained. “A lot of the things that the youth learn from and these kids learn from is from physical touch. I mean that by if a kid can see you in real life, everything that you say or do, it holds more value whether they see you on TV or if they read about you on the Internet or watch videos on YouTube. It doesn’t feel the same. I try to get as many guys as I can back. Like I said, just to interact with the kids. Not only is it a football camp, we put aside some time to talk to kids about everyday life and the importance of education and the importance of asking for help.
‘That’s one of my big things that I try to explain to these kids is that asking for help is not a sign of weakness, it’s actually a strength to tell people that you really want to achieve something, you really want to do something. A lot of times nowadays kids get teased if they ask for help because, ‘You’re stupid,’ or ’You don’t know anything.’ Well, that’s not the case at all.”
If you’d care to help the effort, which beyond the football camp will provide school backpacks to children in need of them, click here and peel off a few extra bucks.