BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Former LSU Tiger and current Dallas Cowboys linebacker Damone Clark returned to his hometown this week with a mission: to give back to the youth football team that helped shape his path to the NFL.
Clark surprised players from his former youth football team, the South Baton Rouge Jaguars, with a $5,000 shopping spree at Academy Sports + Outdoors on Siegen Lane.
“This is a full-circle moment. Just being able to give back to the team and the community that made me the man I am today,” Clark said.
Ahead of hosting his football camp this weekend, Clark gifted 20 youth players each a $250 gift card. None of the players were aware of the surprise until they arrived at the store.
Clark said he wanted to be a source of positivity in a community that has experienced its share of challenges.
“There’s not a lot of positive things going on in the community. There’s a lot of killing, but you can’t control that. What they see, they will gravitate to, and I want to be a positive light,” he said.
Clark’s childhood friend, Charles Thornton, said the act speaks volumes about his character.
“This is motivation. Who wouldn’t want to be in this position?” Thornton said.
Clark said giving back to the Jaguars was personal and deeply meaningful.
“Man, I played for the South Baton Rouge Jaguars as a kid, so seeing my same coaches from back when I played and seeing them out here today, it just means a lot,” he said.
Clark said he plans to make this an annual event.
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