LOS ANGELES — On the Bishop Mora Salesian High School football field in Boyle Heights is where 16-year-old Jakiel Kendricks spends his afternoons playing wide receiver and safety. He’s originally from Chicago and has dreams of playing for the Bears in the NFL. His goal is to take care of his family.
“I want to make sure that they’re good because I know being from Chicago, I don’t come from a lot so I want to show them the world and give them the life that they deserve because they’re great people,” Kendricks said.
Those dreams are the reason he gives 110% every time he steps on the field.
So you can imagine how he felt when he learned he’d be among 500 student athletes to take part in the NLF Play Football Family Festival at Bishop Mora Salesian High School.
NFL legends will be on hand Saturday and there will be several activities including football clinics, equipment fitting and a parents forum.
“My coach texted me and my face lit up because I remember watching this on the news and stuff with my mom and I’m honored to be a part of it,” Kendricks said.
His coach Anthony Atkins said the event is a once in a lifetime opportunity, especially for young people to learn about the game of football.
“If you look at it, how often does the Super Bowl come to LA and how often do we at Salesian High School will be able to host the event? So it’s a great thing for the community, especially for the guys that have never seen NFL players before,” Atkins said.
For the NFL, it’s a way to celebrate football in the city hosting the biggest game of the year.
Roman Oben is vice president of the NFL Football Development.
“We want to use the game to really unite the whole community, not just male tackle college and pro football players, so football has obviously done a lot for the community, football players, coaches, parents and we just want to galvanize the entire community.”
For Kendricks It’s not just a celebration of the sport he loves but an opportunity to learn from NFL players, he said he will take “advice from them and seeing what steps they took to be successful,” and he hopes that advice will take him to the next level.