Trinidadian-born NFL Super Bowl champion Verron Haynes is planning to host a camp in his homeland of Trinidad and Tobago to expose persons in the Caribbean to the basics of the sport.
The 46-year-old former running back, who won the Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2005 and, has revealed that he is currently in talks with the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) to hold the camp, which he believes will bring more awareness to the sport in the region.
In an interview on i95.5 FM on Monday, Haynes said he the NFL was in the process of trying to grow the sport’s popularity outside of the USA, pointing to initiatives such as NFL Europe, NFL Germany and NFL Mexico.
“I’m actually going through the NFLPA to try to do a camp down here and expose kids at a younger age, so that when they reach high school and university, they can go get a scholarship and come out of the other side of it.
“I think it’s going to take some time, but that’s what we have to do for the younger generation, and I think we have a good start on it,” Haynes said.
“I have reached out to them to firstly start the camp and then to start the conversation of bringing it to Trinidad and Tobago.”
Haynes, who played in the NFL from 2002 to 2009, said he has already started exposing children in T&T to the basics of American football.
“I’ve gotten with a few players that organised some sports leagues down there in Trinidad. My dad’s coaching school is doing an outstanding job of recognising those players and we are giving them cleats, we’re getting them footballs, we’re getting them all the stuff that is necessary for them to have an understanding of the basics,” he said.
CMC
