Dolphins defenders partake in first graduation at HBCU trade program

Dolphins defenders partake in first graduation at HBCU trade program

With the NFL’s offseason slowly creeping to a close, NFL players will soon be dialed in on their business on the field. There’s a 17-game season to prepare for and teams across the league are going to have their usual extended runway to brace for the year ahead starting in just a few weeks. But for a pair of Miami Dolphins defenders, this past week offered a little focus on a different kind of business:

The Florida Memorial University’s Construction Trade Program.

The mission statement of the FMU’s Construction Trade Program is “to provide minorities within underserved populations, throughout urban communities in Miami-Dade, specifically the Miami-Gardens and Opa-Locka communities, with the skills and resources to obtain a career in Construction Trades.”

Where do the Dolphins tie in? It was announced in January that the Dolphins Social Impact Committee and the Lennar Foundation would be joining forces to sponsor the program. When the sponsorship was announced, cornerback Byron Jones was one of a number of Dolphins players involved in the Social Impact Committee to offer a statement.

“In many parts of America, people aren’t afforded the opportunity to grow up in neighborhoods with well-funded school, effective after school programs, or economic opportunities,” said Jones. “This program fills the gap that many people of underserved communities fall into. Whether you’re a high school dropout or have a criminal history, this program gives people a chance to develop career skills that will change their lives for the better.”

So with the FMU Construction Trade Program’s first ever graduation ceremony this past week, Jones and defensive tackle Christian Wilkins made an appearance to help encourage the first wave of graduates as they look to put their newfound skills to use moving forward.