Tag: Hogfarmers Charitable Foundation

K.J. Henry makes the day of one young Commanders’ fan

K.J. Henry continues to stand out for all the right reasons.

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Washington Commanders rookie defensive end K.J. Henry is quickly becoming one of the most popular players on the team. And Henry hasn’t even recorded his first NFL sack.

One of the best stories on Day 3 of the 2023 NFL draft was Henry being drafted to the team his father loved. When Henry was drafted, his father went upstairs and changed into a 2002 Jeremiah Trotter jersey, proving his longtime fandom.

We learned more about the special bond between father and son, as the younger Henry used his NIL money from his time at Clemson to help his dad find a kidney.

During OTAs, Keith Henry came to see his son — and his favorite team — practice.

Now, we have another story displaying Henry’s impeccable character.

On the final day of the Commanders’ minicamp on June 8, the team invited nine-year-old Kennedy Keene to practice. According to Washington’s official website, Kennedy finished up treatment for Leukemia the week before. She battled the disease for two years.

Kennedy is a Clemson fan, as her mom attended college there, which explains why Henry is one of her favorite players.

Henry made time for Kennedy after practice, personalized one of his jerseys for her, played catch, told her to pick a game to come to next season and posed for pictures with her family.

Check it out.

This is outstanding from Henry.

The Commanders and the Hogfarmers Charitable Foundation also deserve props here. The Hogfarmers are a charity led by diehard Washington fans who help families impacted by pediatric cancer. You can find out more about the Hogfarmers here, where you can also donate to a worthy cause.

 

WATCH: Commanders make the day of 15-year old superfan

Torrance is a 15-year-old superfan battling leukemia.

The Washington Commanders opened the three-day minicamp Tuesday with the entire team present. The Commanders also had a special guest.

Torrance is a 15-year-old honor roll student and Commanders’ superfan. Torrance is also battling leukemia and, courtesy of the Hogfarmers, had the opportunity to spend the day with the Commanders.

In addition to meeting some of his favorite players, such as Chase Young and Terry McLaurin, head coach Ron Rivera had Torrance break Washington’s huddle.

Check it out:

As Torrance came on the field, Kendall Fuller, Rivera, Young and others encouraged him to break the huddle. Torrance obliged.

Rivera and the Commanders always do well here. Last summer, the team did something similar with 11-year-old Josiah Desper, a cancer survivor, and five-year-old Sophie Manning, who battled leukemia.

The aforementioned Hogfarmers deserve a shoutout for all of the outstanding work they do with the kids and families impacted by pediatric cancer.

A job well done by all. And congratulations to Torrance. What a wonderful moment.

Chase Roullier is more than a former Washington Commander

Chase Roullier meant a lot to the DMV community for more than his work on the field.

The Commanders released one of my favorite players Friday.

Rather than waiting until June 1, the Commanders released center Chase Roullier now to give him more time to catch on with another NFL team.

The former Wyoming Cowboy quietly came to the Redskins virtually an unknown, not being drafted until selection No. 199 in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL draft.

It didn’t matter to Roullier that 198 players had been drafted ahead of him. None of this vocal barking about a chip on his shoulder. None of that silly talk of how the league messed up not drafting him earlier.

Roullier simply prepared for his opportunity and was ready when opportunity knocked. In college he had majored in engineering, so there was no time to waste. Get the work done, be prepared for the next class, and work hard in practice. Roullier had gone to college to actually earn his degree on time. Studying engineering there were many long days and nights.

While some NFL rookies are out spending money, dressing loudly, and talking loudly about what they are going to do and how they are going to succeed in the NFL, Roullier kept his mouth shut and let his play do his talking for him.

Midway through his rookie 2017 season, starting center Spencer Long was injured. Roullier had worked hard in preparation and was ready when baptized by fire. He started seven games and kept the job.

Roullier then displayed more progress, growth and maturity, starting 16, 14 and 16 games in his next three seasons, earning a contract extension.

Others on the line had bigger names, bigger contracts, but Roullier had been the most reliable and effective offensive lineman for Washington from 2018-2020.

Then a broken leg in a 2021 game at Denver ended his season. Last season, in only the second game of 2022, Roullier again went down with another season-ending leg injury.

So today is a reminder again that the NFL is first a business.

Most likely there will be no statement from Roullier. He won’t be on Twitter whining about how he is the victim. He won’t be crying, making excuses about why he was released today.

Chase Roullier, not a needy guy looking for the fan base to tell him how wonderful he is. No, he is secure enough to look out for others less fortunate than himself and see how he can be used to serve them. Consequently he has been a supporter of the Hogfarmer’s Charitable Foundation.

I will miss Chase Roullier being a member of my favorite NFL team. I wish him nothing but the best.