Malcolm Kelly's Trip to Liberia

[Ade Jimoh Fan Club]

Not sure if you guys saw this yet, but rookie WR Malcolm Kelly is heading to Liberia July 3-10 to volunteer in support of the program "Mercy Ships" which provides free medical care to 3rd world countries.

I see this as a big deal, because it shows that maybe, just maybe, all of the "me first" attitude that applies to most NFL athletes may not apply to Kelly despite the rep he earned pre-draft. He's a phenomenal athlete, and if can mature and develop high character and leadership, we may have found a good one here.

I was one of the minority that thought taking Kelly at #21 in the first round would not have been a huge stretch, and was estatic that he was still around in the second. I really hope that his efforts with this program are sincere and that he can show everyone that he's a stand-up guy. Regardless of his intentions, I would think that a week in Liberia on a Mercy Ship has got to be a life-changing event.

Man On a Mission

[MTK]

I think he made a big mistake with his pre-draft grumblings about his 40 time, and I think he realizes that now. I'm willing to give him a pass for that and chalk it up to being young. He definitely has the skills to be a big time player.

[Paintrain]

If anyone in this draft, he was a victim of the 24/7 news cycle and the paralysis by analysis that has become the NFL draft. He was ultra productive in college, played at a big time school and was projected as high as top 15 before his on campus workout. He's got Anquan Boldin (same type of scenario coming out of FSU) written all over him.

[That Guy]

besides the 40 time grumbling, he's had a great history of being a good character guy, and i don't think the gripes hurt him much compared to the 40 time itself.

i really don't think there was 1st round talent at receiver this year, but we got the 3 best prospects as far as possibly great long term careers, so hopefully 1 or two pan out (at least). either way, i'm glad he's taking the time to get involved with something other than dom and night clubs. definitely the right thing to do.

[ArtMonkDrillz]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

I think he made a big mistake with his pre-draft grumblings about his 40 time, and I think he realizes that now. I'm willing to give him a pass for that and chalk it up to being young. He definitely has the skills to be a big time player.

I'm kind of glad he made the mistake of yapping about the 40 time because it allowed us to grab him when we did.
I hope he keeps this sort of off the field activity up throughout his career.

[freddyg12]

Sadly, you never know how much of this type of work is selfless or self promoting. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, cause either way he's getting involved before training camp has even started. How many guys do that? I can't remember ever hearing about a rookie doing charity work before he's even signed a deal.

Kelly seems like a pretty bright guy. For some reason, I think he might be more of a contributor than Thomas. No real reason, just a feeling.

[ArtMonkDrillz]

Originally Posted by freddyg12

Kelly seems like a pretty bright guy. For some reason, I think he might be more of a contributor than Thomas. No real reason, just a feeling.

I feel the same way, for the same non-existant reason.

[EARTHQUAKE2689]

Thats actually cool, Both my parents are from Liberia. In fact my Moms dad was president there for 9 years between 1971-1980 William R. Tolbert, Jr. - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I know what that country has been through so I really think that is cool

[JWsleep]

It's a great thing to do, regardless of the draft "issues" (which I agree were pretty minimal). There's no substitute for actually seeing the hardships that folks suffer in places like Liberia, especially for a young man about to sign a multi-million dollar contract.

Hope he does well!

[Paintrain]

Originally Posted by freddyg12

Sadly, you never know how much of this type of work is selfless or self promoting. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, cause either way he's getting involved before training camp has even started. How many guys do that? I can't remember ever hearing about a rookie doing charity work before he's even signed a deal.

Kelly seems like a pretty bright guy. For some reason, I think he might be more of a contributor than Thomas. No real reason, just a feeling.

Gee, cynical much?

[MTK]

Originally Posted by Paintrain

Gee, cynical much?

ya think?

If he was interested in self promotion there are far easier ways to go about it.

He really sounds like someone just looking for the spotlight here:

"We take for granted too much over here [in the United States]," Kelly said. "We take for granted that we can wake up, go to a fountain and get clean water. There are people in other countries drinking dirty water and that's what everyday life is for them. So I just want to go over [to Liberia] and be a part of helping out."

"As I have come to know the history and spirit of the Liberian people through Mercy Ships, I feel a real connection to the country," Kelly said. "I admire the way they are rebuilding for the future and I want to do everything I can to help them restore their country."

[Riggo44]

It's always good to hear about one of our young players getting there priorities straight this early in there carriers. I think we really might have stolen this kid with a 2nd round pick.


Hey Earthquake your name wouldn’t happen to be Akeem would it?

[freddyg12]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

ya think?

If he was interested in self promotion there are far easier ways to go about it.

He really sounds like someone just looking for the spotlight here:

"We take for granted too much over here [in the United States]," Kelly said. "We take for granted that we can wake up, go to a fountain and get clean water. There are people in other countries drinking dirty water and that's what everyday life is for them. So I just want to go over [to Liberia] and be a part of helping out."

"As I have come to know the history and spirit of the Liberian people through Mercy Ships, I feel a real connection to the country," Kelly said. "I admire the way they are rebuilding for the future and I want to do everything I can to help them restore their country."

Read all of my post & you'll see that I was giving him credit for taking the trip before signing his deal. Maybe I should've more obviously praised him, but I did say I'd never heard of a rookie doing that, which he deserves a lot of credit for.

Also, see this part of the article:

"He named Mercy Ships his charity of choice after he declared for the NFL Draft last January."

Charity work I believe is a mandatory aspect of nfl employment. There may be some self-promoting in that he & his agent are starting early in forming a good public image for him that will lead to endorsements, maybe something beyond football. They may be working on his image after his public comments about the 40 at OU.

It's ok to self-promote & do good charitable work at the same time. The two are not mutually exclusive. So long as he is sincere in his work & does a good job & isn't one of those people (celebrity or not, they're everywhere) that just show up for a little while & then claim it's success later. I don't get the impression that he's doing that, cause like you said he could choose any number of easier ways to get publicity. But also remember that the publicity doesn't hurt.

How did it get on redskins.com anyway?

[ArtMonkDrillz]

Originally Posted by Riggo44

Hey Earthquake your name wouldn’t happen to be Akeem would it?

"This is beautiful. What is that? Velvet?"

[EARTHQUAKE2689]

Originally Posted by Riggo44

It's always good to hear about one of our young players getting there priorities straight this early in there carriers. I think we really might have stolen this kid with a 2nd round pick.


Hey Earthquake your name wouldn’t happen to be Akeem would it?

Nope LOL my name is Julius Jones