Former University of Alabama football star Mark Barron, now playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, was honored as this week’s NFL Players Association “Community MVP” after giving away 1,500 turkeys in his hometown of Prichard, Alabama.
This is the fourth straight year Barron has hosted the turkey giveaway in Mobile County.
“It is humbling to be named NFLPA Community MVP,” he said in a statement. “This honor isn’t for or about me. It’s about the community I come from.”
Dating back to the inaugural giveaway in 2016, Barron has reportedly impacted more than 20,000 families in the Gulf Coast region, supplying more than 6,000 turkeys and holiday meals while donating $15,000 in cash and $250,000 in gifts.
“The holiday season is a time for families to come together,” Barron remarked. “I love having a hand in making that time a little easier, happier and more memorable for people. These are some of the reasons I do the turkey drive.”
The former Crimson Tide safety, who now plays linebacker, also hosts an annual football camp in Mobile along with providing ACT and SAT prep support services. In 2018, he opened a football workout facility in Alabama’s port city, providing a space where local athletes can have access to coaches, equipment and training opportunities.
“I come from a family of people with big hearts that always taught me to not just be a sideliner,” Barron concluded. “They taught me to contribute to the lives of others when and if I am in a position to do so; and I am. I’ll always be there for my city.”
In honor of Barron being named this week’s community MVP, the NFLPA will make a $10,000 contribution to a foundation or charity of his choice. Additionally, Pledge It has set up a crowdfunding campaign in Barron’s name to benefit a cause important to him. Supporters can pledge contributions based on every tackle he records the rest of this season, or they can make a flat donation.
Barron, along with the other weekly 2019 community MVPs, will become eligible for this year’s Alan Page Community Award, which is the highest honor that the NFLPA can bestow upon a player.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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