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--Davis: 'You've Got To Wreak Havoc'
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Akeem Davis wants to make a difference in his hometown of Laurel, Miss.
On Saturday, June 20, the Redskins safety will be hosting the inaugural AD47 Football Leadership Academy.
"There are a ton of negative things that go on in my little, small community, so if we have X amount of kids come out and participate, and we can have just an impact on one of these guys to grow up, do the right thing, be productive citizens and go to school and get an education will be incredible," he told Redskins.com. "You know, hopefully sports and football work out, but even if they don't, just keep your priorities where they are and make sure you be productive in whatever you're doing."
He also remembers that he would never have made it to the NFL or even had come close if it wasn't for the support of Laurel growing up.
"When you make it, you don't make it on your own," he said. "Bring somebody along with you. You're not doing it for yourself. You're doing it for your city. You're doing it for your family. You're doing it for the people who care about you the most. That's why I chose to do it in Laurel because obviously there's not much going on, but what is going on they support it 100 percent. I can never pay it all back, but I can always pay it forward."
While the Academy will certainly instruct the importance of sound fundamentals, Davis' goal is to help shape not only the player, but the individual as a whole.
"The goal of it is to choose kids who can play ball, who have that football foundation, but we're just trying to develop the overall character of the person," he said. "We're just trying to teach them how to be productive citizens of society, teach them the dos and the don'ts of how to handle yourselves in an environment that's really not conducive to a growing atmosphere. We're just trying to get the kids to understand life is bigger than football and whatever you set yourself up to do, just make sure your character is right and everything else will fall into place."
For more information, check out AD47Academy.com.
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