LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Giving back to the community.
Saturday, New England Patriots running back and Centennial High School alumni, Rhamondre Stevenson will be hosting his first youth football camp.
It's happening at his former high school. It kicks off at 4 p.m. with a Q&A with Stevenson and his parents, then skills and drills begin at 5:30 p.m.
The event is free.
KTNV's sports reporter, Tina Nguyen spoke with the Centennial alumni about what drives him to give back.
The full conversation can be read below:
Tina Nguyen: From the football field of Centennial High School to now the backfield for the New England Patriots pats running back Rhamondre Stevenson hanging out with us here in studio [Friday]. Rhamondre, welcome back home.
Rhamondre Stevenson: Yeah, thank you for having me.
Nguyen: So you'll be in town for about a month now, but tomorrow something exciting is happening on your old stomping grounds. Tell us the camp that you're going to be holding at Centennial High School.
Stevenson: Oh, yes. My first annual camp I'm holding at Centennial High School for the for the youth just to teach them, you know, just the ins and outs of the game of football and just give them some knowledge on the game.
Nguyen: Now, this is a free event. And last time I heard, you had 250 kids registered for this event. Why is something like this so important to you?
Stevenson: It was very important just because as a kid, like I went to a few camps and those are very memorable. You know, you could remember that for the rest of your life? So just trying to make that memory for the youth.
Nguyen: What do you remember when you come back home? What do you remember from your days playing here?
Stevenson: I remember it being very hot. You know, just hard work and just just trying to hone in. That's where I found the love of football.
Nguyen: What has it been like for you to get the chance to play on the NFL stage and with the Pats? They did play the Raiders during pre-season, of course, week 14 of the NFL season as well. So what is it like to get the chance to come back home and to play on the NFL stage?
Stevenson: It was crazy. It was a surreal moment for me. All my friends and family, old teammates, people who came out to support me. It was a very surreal moment.
Nguyen: What has it been like to see your hometown become an NFL city as well?
Stevenson: Yeah, it's great. I would say I wish I was here when I was young, but it's never too late. And I'm glad it's kind of becoming a sports city.
Nguyen: Talk a little bit about what also inspired you to come home and to give back to your community here, the community that raised you.
Stevenson: Right. just cause I wish I had more of that as a kid. Just more camps especially, free camps. Everybody could attend and just learn and learn something new. If I could affect one person tomorrow that's changed someone's life, that's the goal.
Nguyen: Can you give us a rundown as to what tomorrow look will look like for the kids that do attend the camp?
Stevenson: Yeah. The first hour is going to be just an educational a little panel, just me, my parents, my agent and my my mentor are going to be talking about giving the kids knowledge and things like that. And after that, we're going to be on the field and just see what the kids got on the football field physically.
Nguyen: When you were growing up here. Who were some of the athletes that inspired you and that you looked up to?
Stevenson: Um, one I could say is DeMarco Murray. He's a vet from out here. So he went to Bishop Gorman and he was my coach at Oklahoma. So that was that was definitely an inspiration.
Nguyen: So you were heading into year three of your NFL career. What's the offseason been like for you in terms of training and getting ready for another year in the NFL?
Stevenson: It's been hard work. Probably the best offseason I had to this day, so I'm excited for this season.
Nguyen: Now your role with the Pats has increased over the last two years. Now in terms of the running back room, looks like the keys will be fully given to you. How excited are you for that opportunity?
Stevenson: Very excited to be that on my team. Something I dreamed of all the way. I'm just ready for the challenge.
Nguyen: How do you put into words what your time in the NFL has been like and what have you learned so far being in the league?
Stevenson: Just learning how to be a pro. Just learning how to carry myself as a NFL athlete and just just better myself on and off the field. I think it's been been great.
Nguyen: Talk to me about what it's like to also be an athlete from Las Vegas, because I've spoken to a couple of you guys and everyone says that athletes from Las Vegas often have a chip on their shoulder a little bit. So what is it like to be able to represent the city?
Stevenson: Yeah, I think you said it best. You got to have a chip on your shoulder coming out of Vegas. You know, it's not it's not too many of us. So the ones that do make it out, you got to really put on for the city and just try to put your best foot forward and put Vegas on the map even more.
Nguyen: Lastly, for kids that do still want to sign up for your camp tomorrow, where can they go to find out more information about that and to sign up?
Stevenson: Well, registration is now closed, but I encourage all the kids to pull up. We're not going to turn anyone away, so just pull up on Saturday we'll have a good time.
