The Russell Wilson Passing Academy takes form

Different things drive different players. For Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, establishing a way to connect with inner-city kids was one of the things that drove him to succeed, and now, his NFL career has given him the means to give back.

Russell Wilson is establishing his namesake passing academy in hopes of changing the lives of some inner-city kids in a positive way. It's been a goal for Wilson for a long time, and following his breakout season last year in which he took the NFL by storm, he finally has the platform he's needed since he spawned the idea.

"Over this two-and-a-half-week period, basically, I’ll meet 1,400 kids," Wilson said, via Tom Mulhern of the Wisconsin State Journal. "If I can change one of those kids’ lives, inspire one of those kids, that makes the difference and goes a long way."

The camp will cover five cities — Richmond; Raleigh, N.C.; Madison; Spokane, Wash.; and Seattle — with each stop representing a meaningful part of Wilson's journey through life.

"I just think playing one play at a time, one game at a time, staying in the moment," Wilson said. "I’ve done a pretty good job of that so far. How much further can I take that?"

It's an important lesson for everyone to learn, especially kids. Some things in life do require long-term planning, but getting to those goals requires one to stay in the moment, putting in the work to get there. It's something Wilson has displayed in his short time in the NFL, and if he's as genuine as his coaches and teammates portray him to be, he'll have no problem being a positive influence in many of those 1,400 kids' lives.

About Shane Clemons

Shane Clemons came from humble beginnings creating his own Jaguars blog before moving on to SBNation as a featured writer for the Jaguars. He then moved to Bloguin where he briefly covered the AFC South before taking over Bloguin's Jaguars blog. Since the inception of This Given Sunday, Shane has served as an editor for the site, doing his best not to mess up a good thing.

Quantcast