By Jennifer Igbonoba
Trendsetter Team
New England Patriots defensive lineman Deatrich Wise and his brothers hosted their annual football camp at He-bron High School and geared towards high school linemen more than 150 students from around the metroplex learned the basics participating in NFL Combine-like skills, including the 40-yard dash.
“Long story short, I have a lot of money coming out,” Wise said about the importance of making the camp free for attendees. “And I’m not going to make kids who need the help try to break the bank to get here. I’m not gonna get paid off of this. My payment is seeing kids succeed.”
The camp’s coaches included local football coaches and NFL players, including former Patriots offensive lineman LaAdrian Waddle.
“This is a really cool opportunity to give back and to get out and teach these kids, and have them be able to reach out to some guys who have been there done that in terms of what they’re trying to accomplish and give them some hope for the future,” Waddle said about why he decided to volunteer to coach.
Claudio Urbina, athletic coordinator and head football coach at Adamson High School, said the camp was beneficial to the coaches as they learned from one another.
“There’s some great coaches here on this staff to help with this camp,” Urbina said.
Jennifer Igbonoba is a sophomore at George Washington University and a graduate of the Scripps Howard Foundation Emerging Journalists Program.
