David Clowney and Santonio Holmes Visiting Africa
Just like his New York Jets have been all over the place this offseason, wide receiver (WR) David Clowney has been all over the place this summer. Clowney has worked with charities from New Jersey to Haiti and he has a new destination in Ghana. Joining him will be his new teammate and longtime friend, Santonio Holmes.
The Jets receivers will be visiting the country as part of a group that will visit hospitals, schools and orphanages. They will also be teaching children a thing or two about American Football, as they will organize a game in Accra, the capital of Ghana. The group is expected to stay in the country for about a week.
"We've got so many things that we're going to do while we're out there," Clowney said. "It's going to be ridiculous. We'll do some sightseeing, too, and checking out the area itself, but for the most part it will be about the kids. We're just going to try to help however we can."
Clowney has packed heavily for this trip, but not for himself. Thanks to donations made to his charity, the David Clowney Foundation, Clowney is bringing over 250 pounds of children’s clothing with him. He’ll also be donating $1,000 to each hospital he visits.
Clowney also visited Haiti this past March, following the earthquake, as part of a missionary group. Inspired by that trip, Clowney decided to go to Ghana to help the children there.
"I'm super excited about it," said Clowney. "Just thinking about all the work we got done in Haiti in just those three days, I think we're going to get an extreme amount of work done while trying to help the kids and families of Ghana."
The wide receiver has had an offseason full of charitable work and this is his last stop before training camp. Clowney has also held a camp and celebrity basketball event in his home state of Florida and worked with teammates' events in cities such as Detroit and Birmingham, Alabama.
Clowney and Holmes have known each other since high school when they competed in track. They became NFL teammates in April when Holmes was traded by Pittsburgh.
"I've known Santonio since I was in 10th grade," Clowney said. "Him coming to New York was not the first time I was meeting him. We've always been good friends. With him in the picture now, of course these first four games, I'm going to have to do everything I can every time the ball comes my way. Even when he comes back, as long as we go to the Super Bowl and win, I'm going to be happy."
Clowney was pleased when Holmes told him he'd make the trip to Ghana with him.
"I convinced him to come out and show a little love and he made the choice to come and help me," Clowney said. "I really appreciate him doing that."
The whole offence has stayed in touch this offseason. Recently, quarterback (QB) Mark Sanchez flew in his offensive colleagues to California to build chemistry with his old and new teammates and test out his surgically repaired knee.
"It was really good," Clowney said. "We ended up really getting a lot done."
The mini-camp was not all work though as the teammates also scheduled some outings, including a trip. They attended the MLB All-Star game and home run derby in Anaheim, California, and the ESPY Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.
"It was a nice little week for us," Clowney said. "Some of the guys brought their families. It was just a good opportunity for us to be close and stay together."
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