An uplifting visit by ex-football players
Kidsday reporters being picked up by football players Clarence Lee, left, Germard Reed and Keith Davis. Credit: Mary Kate LaSpisa
Our school had former NFL and college football players visit to motivate us. They were Clarence Lee, Keith Davis and Germard Reed.
They talked about never giving up and trying your best. They used the example of being in a first half of football game and losing. Then in the second half, they didn’t give up and they won the game. They told us not let anyone bring you down. You are never a loser, you are a chooser!
They told us about their lives and how they overcame some hard times. Keith told us that he won two Super Bowl rings with the Giants and he was going to give one ring to his father but his father was never there for him. He said his dad chose drugs instead of him. Then he said he was going to be the first person in his family to go to college. He did, and his mom was proud of him.
When Clarence was telling his story, we found out that he played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He told us that he had to move around a lot as a kid. He was bullied at school, so he decided to work out and get stronger. He would go to work out at a professional football team’s gym even though he wasn’t supposed to be there. One time, he got caught and the coach of the team told him that he would watch him on the security cameras. Clarence had even shown the team how hard he would work. He would do 2,000 pushups a day! The coach watched him and wanted him to join his team but Clarence wanted to finish high school and college first. He earned two degrees in college and went on to play professional football.
Mary Kate LaSpisa’s fifth-grade class, Evergreen Charter School, Hempstead
