GREEN BAY (WLUK) — Rashan Gary is just days away from beginning his seventh season in the NFL.
Before the start of the Packers’ training camp on Wednesday, Gary held a youth football camp at Green Bay East High School.
The camp was put on in conjunction with CareSource Health Care and featured around 100 campers in grades first through eighth.
Saturday’s camp was the first time Gary has held a youth camp in Green Bay, a place that has become his home away from home.
“I love the turnout. It’s been exciting so far and I’m enjoying it,” Gary said. “I’ve been so focused and locked in but I’ve been wanting to get back and do this. I’m happy I was finally able to.”
Gary said he attended a youth football camp when he was growing up in New Jersey and shared the impact it had on him.
“I think I was going into the 6th grade and his name was Eugene Monroe. I think he was a left tackle. Came out of Plainfield, New Jersey. Went to Virginia,” Gary said. “I ended up going to his camp and that sparked something in my heart. I remember leaving that camp and my mom said, ‘That’s the day you said you wanted to be a professional football player’.”
Gary said he hopes to have positively impacted kids through his camp just like how Monroe did with him.
Just like every season, the Packers have their eyes on the Lombardi Trophy.
Green Bay advanced to the playoffs the last two seasons, but fell in the Wild Card round in 2024 after advancing to the NFC Divisional round in 2023.
“What we’ve been able to do has been good but it hasn’t been good enough,” Gary said. “We understand the Green Bay Packers’ standard. It’s historic. The number one thing is winning championships. We’ve gotten close and fallen short. It’s been good in terms of what we’re doing because it’s been giving us confidence, but we still gotta get the job done.”