Jimmy Graham: True Baller

Washington, D.C. – Raynard Jackson

Jimmy Graham…that’s right, Jimmy Graham. Most of the public is only recently aware of his story.  Unfortunate, but it is true.

Jimmy Graham is a tight end for the New Orleans Saints football team. As of this writing, he leads the NFL in receptions and touchdowns made by a tight end. But most importantly, he is proving to be a true “baller” in the game of life!

Graham’s Traumatic Childhood

Jimmy Graham was born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina.  At the age of 11, his mom put him in the car and dropped him off at an orphanage.  Thirteen years later, he is scoring big both on and off the field.

Graham recounts the time he was in the back seat of a van with his housemates from the orphanage who beat him until his eyes were swollen shut.  He called his mother and asked her to pick him up.  She hung up the phone.

After bouncing around from home to home, he was eventually taken into the home of his future adoptive mother, Becky Vinson.  According to Graham, he and his biological mother are “slowly rebuilding a relationship, but it’s moving very slowly…I told her that I forgive her, but I won’t forget.”

Graham is a better man than I am.  He presents himself well on TV. And his forgiving attitude speaks to the strength of his character. Isn’t it a shame more people know about Beyonce’s pregnancy than Graham’s determination?

Setting Goals and Achieving Them

Jimmy Graham is 6’6”, 260 pounds, and earned a basketball scholarship to the University of Miami.  And he played football in his last year of school. Graham graduated in 2009 with a double major in marketing and management. He then enrolled in graduate school so he could play one more year of football. The New Orleans Saints picked Graham in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft. He signed a four-year deal worth $2.5 million.

So, the next time you hear a negative story about a professional athlete, think of Jimmy Graham.  His story makes you cry, makes you angry, but also gives you hope.  It is not about sports, it’s about life. We all have faced or will face our own traumatic situations. How we respond will determine the quality of our life.

A Winner

There are not many people I really want to meet, but Jimmy Graham is definitely one.  I want to know how he turned around failing grades, garnered a basketball scholarship at a prominent university, graduated with a double major in four years, and went on to excel in the NFL. All this while overcoming the trauma of  his youth.

Jimmy Graham, your life is truly a touchdown. Whether you know it or not, you have already won…the Super Bowl of life!