Atlanta's Calais Campbell Named Week 7 NFLPA Community MVP
WASHINGTON, D.C. – After recording his 100th career sack on October 15, Calais Campbell didn’t celebrate by patting himself on the back; instead, he did what he’s done so many times during his 16-year NFL career – he gave back.
Campbell has been named the Week 7 NFLPA Community MVP for his “100 Sack Give Back,” as he donated $150,000 to under-resourced teachers across the country for classroom supplies and resources.
“I’ve always felt like giving back was important in the communities that I’ve been in as a player t help me kind of become who I am and help me accomplish the goals that I had,” the Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman said. “I wanted to support those communities. I felt like the most important way to do that is with the teachers.”
Becoming just the 63rd player in NFL history to reach the 100-sack milestone, Campbell announced that he will be donating $100,000 to support teachers in under-resourced schools across the four team cities he has played in: Phoenix, Jacksonville, Baltimore and now Atlanta. The NFLPA Executive Committee member will work with Kids In Need Foundation’s Supply A Teacher program to select 25 teachers from each city that will receive $500 worth of essential school supplies and $500 to purchase other classroom resources.
Additionally, Campbell announced that he will donate $25,000 each to support Denver South and South Miami teachers, paying homage to where he played high school and college football (University of Miami), respectively.
This marks the third time that Campbell has been selected as a NFLPA Community MVP, with the first two honors coming in 2014 and 2019 for charitable work through his Charles Richard Campbell (CRC) Foundation. Named after his late father, the non-profit was launched in 2010 to teach skills that are not typically learned in the classroom setting, such as accounting, budgeting, drug and alcohol awareness, cooking and diversity awareness. The foundation also provides college scholarships for students from families with five or more children.
This past summer, Campbell wasted little time making a positive impact on his new team city of Atlanta. He and his wife, Rocio, visited young patients on the cancer and blood disorder, cardiac and transplant floors at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. They then surprised 10 single mothers and their kids with $500 grocery gift cards to help lighten their financial load.
Since being drafted into the NFL in 2008, the All-Pro defender has also held four different turkey giveaways in various cities for the Thanksgiving holiday, provided funding for teenagers in the Baltimore area to receive three months of weekly therapy sessions, and distributed 100 laptops to students in need at Baltimore City Schools.
In honor of Campbell being named this week’s Community MVP, the NFLPA is making a $10,000 contribution to his foundation or charity of choice. In turn, Campbell will take part in a virtual or in-person visit to a school or children’s hospital. Along with the other 2023-24 Community MVPs, he will also become eligible for this year’s Alan Page Community Award, which is the highest honor that the NFLPA can bestow upon a player.
Now in its 10th season, the Community MVP campaign is part of the NFLPA’s continued efforts to support the year-round, civic outreach and engagement of its player members. Please visit the NFLPA Community MVP website to learn more about the program.
2023-24 NFLPA Community MVP winners:
Week 1: Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings
Week 2: Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
Week 3: Justin Hardee, New York Jets
Week 4. Frank Ragnow, Detroit Lions
Week 5: Arik Armstead, San Francisco 49ers
Week 6: Emmanuel Ogbah, Miami Dolphins
Week 7: Calais Campbell, Atlanta Falcons
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About the NFL Players Association:
The National Football League Players Association is the union for professional football players in the National Football League. Established in 1956, the NFLPA has a long history of assuring proper recognition and representation of players’ interests. The NFLPA has shown that it will do whatever is necessary to assure that the rights of players are protected—including ceasing to be a union, if necessary, as it did in 1989. In 1993, the NFLPA again was officially recognized as the union representing the players and negotiated a landmark Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NFL. The current CBA will govern the sport through the 2030 NFL season. Learn more at www.nflpa.com.