Metairie, La. — Sports worlds collided Saturday, as professional athletes and celebrities came together to play some kickball for a cause. It was the first annual Tyrann Mathieu & Friends Celebrity Kickball Classic, played at the Shrine on Airline in Metairie. The consensus was that no one had played since they were little, but were all really excited to flashback to their youth.
“I haven’t kick-balled since the 5th grade,” said Falcons linebacker Duke Riley. “But back in the day I was an all-star kick-baller so I’m pretty sure I still got it in me.”
And of course, when you get a group of professional athletes together– no matter the sport– there’s going to be a high level of competition.
“Oh, MVP? We’ve got to win,” said NFL free agent cornerback Delvin Breaux. “They don’t know I’ve been working. I’m trying to kick that thing out the yard.”
Now the question is– why kickball?
“A lot of guys do golf and they do basketball,” Mathieu said. “I wanted to do something that reminded me of home. Growing-up we played a ton of kickball– not only in the streets but definitely in school. So I thought, why not kickball? It’s been fun trying to recruit guys.”
Proceeds from the event, along with Sunday’s “Heart of a Badger” free youth skills camp, will go towards the New Orleans’ native’s non-profit organization, the Tyrann Mathieu Foundation– which is a cause everyone was glad to support.
“It’s great,” said fellow New Orleans native and WBC interim light-welterweight champion, Regis Prograis. “I’m glad Tyrann is doing something like this. All athletes need to give back. And especially the city of New Orleans, we need a lot of this. I’m glad I could come out, Tyrann could come out, and everybody else could come out and give back to the community.”
“Love the local ties and that we can just come back and give back is the biggest thing,” Breaux said. “I’m just glad to be out here. I’m glad he reached out to me to help him with this process.”
“This is an event for families one that everyone can come together and really bring the city together,” Matthieu said. “I’m just trying to use my foundation to not only inspire kids but to bring groups of people together.”
