LOS ANGELES — DeSean Jackson will be back home in Los Angeles for the first time in his career. It's to the delight of the woman who raised him, his mother, Gayle Jackson.

As a youngster, DeSean played football on the dirt fields of Inglewood, where SoFi Stadium now stands. Gayle Jackson credits her late husband, Bill, for her son's love of sports.

"One thing that his father made sure that DeSean had was a big heart, and it was a fierce heart and a bold heart," Gayle Jackson explained.

The big heart proved important for the player, who was usually the smallest but the fastest on the field. DeSean took the bus from his home near Leimert Park to Long Beach Poly, where he played high school football and baseball. His mom credits sports for keeping him out of trouble. 

"People that he could actually reach out to, and could actually touch and were actually there for him," Gayle Jackson said.

DeSean Jackson's close bond with the late Nipsey Hussle is well documented. Both came from the same area. He's doing his part to carry on "the marathon," giving shoes away to kids in his neighborhood and mentoring the next generation of players.

"I'm going to the inner city," DeSean Jackson said. "I'm going to the hood. I'm taking them out of there, letting them understand it's more to live for."

On the field, there's still more to prove. He said the tank is not empty even after more than a decade.

"The records speak for itself," he said. "Most 60-yard touchdown in NFL history. So, you'll see."

Gayle Jackson can't wait to finally see her son play an NFL game for Los Angeles.

"Who could have ever imagined that?" she said. "Oh, and it's gonna be a woosah moment. I can finally stay home."