Xavien Howard of the Miami Dolphins recently held an annual youth football camp at Wheatley High School, where he provided football knowledge and motivational messages to 150 kids.
The school is where he was a part of formidable defensive back in tandem with Washington Commander’s cornerback William Jackson III. He was joined by the Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, and defensive tackle Raekwon
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Although he taught football to the kids, Howard still emphasized the importance of good education and having options in life besides sports.
“That’s the most important thing is education,” he said. “The knowledge, they can’t take that from you. Not everybody can be a football player. Everybody wants the football, basketball, be a rapper, stuff like that, but there’s other stuff out there.”
To him, the decisions he made had shown results. He earned respect from his friends and the community.
“Man, I’m just looking around, seeing all the kids coming out, and it’s a great environment with everybody having and great energy,” Davis said. “I love to see this. Xavien is my teammate, he’s my brother. He’s got my back just like I have his back.
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Howard was scarred and toughened by his childhood experiences as he witnessed violent crimes in the Fifth Ward, a hardscrabble community filled with poverty and addiction issues where he grew up in.
When Howard was an elementary student, he witnessed a shooting on the railroad tracks and was spotted by the gunman while playing basketball outside. That event traumatized him and his family, making Howard extremely determined to make it out of that environment as well as becoming more serious about football and academics.
The aforementioned shooter was aware that Howard saw him do it. As a result, Howard’s mother sent him to live with his grandmother for a few months before the authorities captured the shooter.
“Man it’s been a crazy journey,” he said. “Stuff I saw, it made me numb to a lot of stuff. I feel like a kid shouldn’t see that or go through that, but I took that, and it motivated me to get away from here.”
Restructuring contract
Howard went on to earn a scholarship to Baylor University and became an elite NFL defensive player. He earned three Pro Bowl selections, led the NFL in interceptions twice, and received a five-year, $90 million contract this spring.
He became the first corner in NFL history to have a fully guaranteed five-year contract. Howard is also the first NFL player to have his contract restructured completely, having both four years and three years remaining in his original deals.
Last year, Howard requested a trade-out of a contract dispute. The Dolphins eventually reworked his contract to make him the highest-paid corner in the league in 2021.
“I would say money is not everything to me personally,” he said. “I like people, the character they show. Money only gets you so far in life. The person, being the genuine person, the love you have for people, that’s what I care about. Money, it’s going to come. It’s just really how you treat people.”
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