Ha Ha Clinton-Dix may be one of the premier athletes in the NFL these days, but he never gets enough credit for being one of the smartest. While focused on his own success and that of the Chicago Bears, he also knows it’s important to help the game of football survive into the future. That means doing what he can to give back to the youth of this country. Helping them to get similar opportunities he was afforded.
That is why he established the Ha Ha HERO Football Camp. He held the first annual event back in his hometown of Orlando, Florida on June 15th. Aside from running drills and having some fun with the kids, Clinton-Dix wanted to make sure he sent them home with at least one good lesson. Not just about being a good football player, but a good person as well.
Chris Hays of the Orlando Sentinel was there to catch one of his most important speeches.
“What are you doing when no one is looking at you, when no one is watching?” Clinton-Dix asked the group. “It’s call having integrity … and doing the right thing.”
Good words to live by. What nobody knew at the time was how quickly one of the young boys there would take those words to heart.
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Ha Ha Clinton-Dix saw camp MVP make a selfless gesture
Words are great, but actions are better. It seems Clinton-Dix got through to at least one of the participants at the camp. None other than one of the biggest standouts at the camp, who sacrificed some of his own personal happiness to make the experience better for another.
That’s why Clinton-Dix and the other camp coaches were pleased when they all learned about the unselfish gesture by 12-year-old Jermichael Villis, who had won the MVP honor for his age group. The MVP winners were given an assortment of goodies, which included a pair of Nike Vapor football gloves. Villis noticed one of his competitors was sad about missing out and, without hesitation, he handed the gloves over to him.
This is the sort of standout character that can make athletes so valuable as role models. Clinton-Dix is doing great things by working hard to cultivate such types of young men for the future. It will only mean good things for the future of football. Also, don’t be surprised if down the road the Bears end up drafting Mr. Villis. He seems to exhibit the sort of personality they covet.
