“We are here to raise money for kids to have a place to go after school. So they can have fun and do their homework instead of getting into trouble or being couch potatoes. So we get to help by raising money playing dodge ball, which I haven’t played since I was a kid so this is going to be a lot of fun and we are doing it for a great cause,” said Chargers OLB Dwight Freeney at the After School All-Stars Dodge ball event.
After School All-Stars was founded in 1991 by Daniel L. Hernandez and asked Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger to serve as a Executive Commissioner. This organization equips their students with confidence and skills to be productive members of society. They are fighting against dropouts and obesity rate.
This year it was Dwight Freeney leading the fight with local radio host Frankie V., which is his 4th year doing the event. Freeney was not alone because he brought some of his teammates Running Back Ryan Mathews, Left Tackle King Dunlap, OLB Melvin Ingram, and rookie standout Wide Receiver Keenan Allen. They made the team of D-Block which not many teams wanted to play them, wonder why? We also had Frankie V’s team the DodgeFathers returning and they where ready to go since the beginning. The San Diego Girls from Fox Sports had their own team named FOXy Balls and where all smiles during the whole event.
“I want to keep kids off the streets and help them make something of their life. This being my 4th year I think it is incredible that ASAS keeps asking me to do it because I feel honored and anything that has to do with the community I am in,” said Frankie V. When asked about how his team looked, “We are confident we have been doing this for 4 years now, so all we have to do is kick the scrubs out of this and I feel like the DodgeFathers are confident going into this.”
The tournament went as many people can imagine D-Block (Dwight Freeney’s team) taking no prisoners. They looked like little kids out there arguing with the referee or screaming ‘I got you, you’re out!!’ but one thing is they where all smiles. The one thing that they did not lose was their competitiveness they wanted to win and where not going to lose.
The San Diego Chargers big Left Tackle King Dunlap said, “ It’s a blast to be out here doing this and not only that but the best part is we get to help kids out. We are just having fun doing this; funny part is I haven’t played dodgeball since I was a kid so to be out here is really cool. I actually did not get a chance to join something like this back in the day because I was always playing sports, but I would have loved to been able to.”
Team D-block had to face many challenging teams on their way to winning this tournament like rival team NWA, whose leader kept jawing at them while they played to distract them. “I am playing mind games with them because they can’t handle NWA, man I’m in their head they don’t want none of this. That trophy is coming home with me,” said NWA leader Robert. Unfortunately for team NWA they did not win. It was team D-Block taking home the trophy and there was a little show boating going on, but it was all in the name of fun.
Chargers WR Keenan Allen, RB Ryan Mathews, and OLB Melvin Ingram all agreed that while this was a fun event that it was all about the kids and helping them succeed in life because that is their number one goal… helping.
Chargers OLB Dwight Freeney has only been in San Diego for one year coming from the Indianapolis Colts. You here stories about him being very involved in helping kids back with the Colts and wanted to continue that in San Diego. He has done other activities with ASAS like invited kids down to Monello an Italian restaurant in Little Italy, which is located in downtown San Diego. So he is very involved, which is a great thing for kids to see because they look up to these players and to get to hangout with them, well that is a life changing experience.
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