After his record-setting 2019 season, it’s no secret the incredible acts that Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey can do as a football player. One-handed catches. Hurdling grown men in a single bound. Front flips that result in touchdowns. What he has done on the field has been nothing short of amazing. We knew that.
This offseason, he has been working hard to be just as impressive off the field – and that’s something you may not know.
Earlier this year McCaffrey, along with Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson launched “22 Together,” which is designed to help unite the city of Charlotte through sports programs for underserved youths in the area. He also founded the “22 & You” program earlier in the year, raising money for front line workers amid the coronavirus pandemic in the Carolinas and Denver, which is McCaffrey’s hometown.
During his Zoom conference call with reporters this past Friday, McCaffrey stressed how important it is to use his platform to create change in this world.
“At this stage in my life, I really want to take the platform that I have and use it with stuff that I enjoy or that I think needs help somewhere,” said McCaffrey. “Obviously, the stuff that I’m doing with Shaq, the stuff that I did during the Coronavirus with 22 and You and the stuff that I do with the military as well. For me, those are three things that I am very passionate about, and I [use] my off time during the offseason, and obviously, some of it floods into in-season as well.
“I enjoy doing it, it’s important, and I’m encouraged by all the athletes in the NFL that use their platform to better the world.”
22 Together will also have the support and mentorship from community leaders, including the police department, who will be part of the initiative.
“I think the biggest thing is now to continue to listen and learn and have conviction with my teammates,” McCaffrey said. “That’s how it all came about. Not just talk about it, but to be about it. We’ve had nothing but positive feedback, and I’m extremely excited to continue to work with The Boys and Girls Clubs of Charlotte and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department as well to continue to have these tough conversations and to continue to unite each other.”
With everything going on in the world, McCaffrey says he has one common goal with all the organizations that he is working with.
“I think just create a better understanding between everybody. I think, when you talk about creating unity, it is about everyone working towards one goal, and that’s unity,” McCaffrey said. “When you think about football and sports in general, it’s a great example of that. You have people from all different places, races, religions, but everyone comes together and ends up loving each other and working together towards something. And I think that’s how the world should be as well.”
“With everything going on with all races split down the middle, we need to come together as a whole and bring everybody together,” added Thompson about the efforts spearheaded by the leaders on both sides of the ball. “From rich to poor, the black, the white and all that. The gay and straight, we need to bring everybody together to share love and show love.”
“Because at the end of the day, we are all humans.”
Christian McCaffrey’s message for Ron Rivera.
“The whole Carolinas have his back.” pic.twitter.com/aHyWkYBRsi
— The Riot Report (@RRiotReport) August 21, 2020
One of the people McCaffrey learned the importance of giving back to the community is former Panthers head coach Ron Rivera. Last Thursday night, it was revealed that Rivera was diagnosed with lymph node cancer.
McCaffrey said he touched base with Rivera and is hoping for the best outcome.
“What an unfortunate deal,” McCaffrey said. “I think when you think about Coach Rivera, the first thing I think about is toughness. When you hear someone has to go through something like that, obviously I don’t know the severity of it — I heard based on what I read it wasn’t as serious. But he is going to handle it like a champ, I already know it. And my prayers go to him and his family.”
“The whole Carolinas has his back.”
Photo Credit: Carolina Panthers
On the field, the 2019 season couldn’t have gone any better for McCaffrey from an individual standpoint – he became the third running back in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards and record 1,000 yards receiving in the same season. Also, McCaffrey finished with 116 receptions, which led the Panthers last season and broke his own record for most receptions by a running back in NFL history.
Although McCaffrey had a ton of individual success in 2019, the Panthers finished with a 5-11 record and their second consecutive losing season. This year, with new head coach Matt Rhule and new offensive coordinator Joe Brady, McCaffrey’s numbers could look a little different.
But McCaffrey says he wants to help the team winning in any way that he can – he doesn’t care about numbers, even though he touched the ball and played more snaps more than any other running back in the NFL last season.
“The biggest statistic is winning, and that’s all I ever really cared about. For me, I just want to win,” McCaffrey said. “I hope everybody scores four touchdowns a game. And I hope we win by 60 every game. That’s obviously the goal, but touches don’t matter. I think at the end of the day, the coaches have to do the best job they can to put the ball in their playmaker’s hands, and the playmakers have to do the best job we can in making them right and doing what we do best and making guys miss in space.”
“Being physical in the run game, making guys miss in the passing game, catching the ball, being efficient, limiting negative plays. It is easier said than done, but I think that’s the most important part of football. When you have weapons, when you have talent, it’s what you do with it.”
