Chris Smith Gives Back In A Big Way

Media Day is a wonderful chance to get to pick the brains of coaches, players, and fellow media members about their hopes for the season, personnel decisions, and general football nerd stuff.

And believe me, we did. My partner Blaise and I covered the whole shebang, and he recapped it beautifully in an article earlier today.

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But as it turns out, you hear some pretty fantastic off-the-field stories too.

In our interview with Coach Michael Desormeaux, we brought up the pride he must feel about the Cajuns being ranked top in the Sun Belt in community service.

His response?

"It shows our players have perspective."

He went on to tell us about how one of the leaders for this years Ragin' Cajun offense went above and beyond to give back to the community earlier this month.

Smith is clearly taking on a strong leadership role on the team both on and off the field. The event Coach Des is referencing was Day 2 of the D.R.E.A.M.S. Foundation's "Camp Unique", a summer camp experience tailored for individuals with special needs.

Smith and his Ragin' Cajuns teammates visited with the campers, pushed them around in extremely cool-looking rickshaws, and even participated in some karaoke.

When asked about his community efforts, Chris Smith responded and included a touching shoutout.

Smith gets it. He understands what it means to these kids to see athletes like him make the effort to be available and compassionate. Equally importantly, he's willing to encourage his teammates to share that energy.

Another thing worth mentioning is how these Louisiana athletes are approaching service. They aren't blasting it all over social media, they aren't just posing for photos. These athletes (across all sports) are staying in the moment and taking the time to really be present for those they're volunteering for.

And that's something they, and the community they represent and support, can be proud of.