Lions news: Several players give back to community with youth camps

Several Detroit Lions are spending their summers giving back to the community in the form of youth camps.

With OTAs in the past, many people think NFL players spend the next five weeks kicking back and vacationing. And while some may be doing that, several Detroit Lions players are spending their free time giving back to the community. One common way to do that this time of year is to host youth football camps.

For example, Jameson Williams spent last week in his hometown of St. Louis, offering a youth camp for free to the community. Local TV station KDSK has that story here.

This is already Williams’ second youth camp. Last year, he held camp in the Detroit area, and we were on hand to get an in-depth look at it .

“It feels great, especially being down here in the city,” said Williams back in 2023. “I just wanted to get out and get connected with the city in a different way. My way. I play football and wanted to offer a free camp for the kids. It was really just me getting in tune with the city, giving back to the community and things like that, so this is my happy place—being out here around football.”

Of course, Williams is far from the only one helping out. As he continues to rehab from injury, defensive tackle DJ Reader found time to give back to his hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina with a youth camp of his own . Here’s an interview with him from the field he grew up playing on, talking about his “A Son Never Forgets” foundation .

Of course, this isn’t surprising with Reader. Last week, Reader penned an article about how his relationship with his father encouraged him to fulfill a mentorship role among youth , particularly with his own son.

Finally, if you’re looking for a Lions youth camp in the future, James Houston will be hosting one down in Jackson, Mississippi this upcoming weekend.

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