Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth is the latest player to demonstrate his generosity to a grief-stricken community. Whitworth, who is heavily involved with his Big Whit 77 Foundation, has garnered quite the reputation as an upstanding member of his community. However, it is he and his wife Melissa’s latest gesture that might resonate the most.
The news was broken via social media on Friday that Whitworth would be sending funding to cover the funeral expenses of 16-year-old Jaleel Gipson, of Farmerville, LA, who died Monday after suffering fractured vertebrae during an Oklahoma Drill at a spring football practice. Gipson’s organs were donated after he was taken off life support.
The town where the Louisiana teen passed, Farmerville, is located just a half hour north of Whitworth’s hometown of West Monroe, LA.
Whitworth had hoped that the donation would have remained anonymous, but social media spoiled the anonymity. Once the word had gotten out, Whitworth said that he received an email from one of the parents on the team to come and talk to the team. However, due to the current offseason workouts going on, Whitworth was unable to do that.
Instead he decided to do more.
“I still read the papers from down there and know what is going on down there. Anytime you are engaged in the community and the area, something like that happens it is just devastating,” said Whitworth. “I am just grateful for the opportunity to serve my community and help ease that family’s burden.”
This is the second time in four years that Farmerville has seen one of its football players pass away. Farmerville is grieving the second death of a football player since 2010. Kebrion Morgan, 15, died after a film session in September of 2010. An autopsy later showed that Morgan had an enlarged heart.
Whitworth will talk to the team via video and is hoping to spend time with the players and coaches in his free time between Bengals minicamp and the team’s training camp.
The Big Whit 77 Foundation, which does a lot of work near his hometown through college scholarships and grants for couples wanting to adopt children, will have their golf tournament in West Monroe on June 17.
