David Flores
Publication: Kens5
Date: July 25, 2016
SAN ANTONIO – One of the ways current and former pro athletes give back to the community in the summer is by making appearances at youth sports camps.
For retired Kansas City Chiefs running back Priest Holmes and Houston Texans safety Quintin Demps, it wouldn’t be a summer without helping out at a football camp or some other sports event for kids in the community.
Holmes and Demps, both San Antonio high school graduates, were in their element at a “Junior Olympics” competition sponsored by the Breaking Down Walls Foundation, a nonprofit headed by former NFL cornerback Lenny Walls. Holmes and Demps mixed with kids and their parents on a scorching Saturday morning at Gustafson Stadium, signing autographs and posing for photos.
“I definitely see myself in all the kids in some shape or fashion, just from the standpoint that I was always told I was undersized, not fast enough and the percentages of me becoming successful were very slim,” said Holmes, 42. “For the most part, my biggest connection is with the players like Lenny, who are younger than me.”
“I’ve been doing camps sponsored by the Priest Holmes Foundation for the last 20 years, so now I have a chance to step out of the limelight and support the players that are now transitioning into the nonprofit world,” continued Holmes.
A 1992 Marshall High School graduate and UT alum, Holmes played in the NFL for 10 seasons, four with the Baltimore Ravens and the last six with Kansas City, before retiring in November 2007. Holmes lives in San Antonio and helps high school students attend college by raising money for scholarships through his foundation.
