Hampton, VA - The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association has become the first Division II Conference accepted into the NCAA/NFL Life Skills Partnership. The partnership, which brings current NFL players to college campuses to speak to football student-athletes, has only included prominent Division I colleges. Guy Troupe, NFL Director of Player Programs, sees the necessity in widening the scope of the Life Skills partnership.
"We're happy to be able to use our resources to come to institutions that have not been a part of the partnership before," says Troupe. "For those institutions, the message our players give is just as important for them to hear."
ln April, the specific date to be deterrnined, Johnson C. Smith will be utilized as the conference representative in the Westem Division. Of course, the Carolina Panthers are the neighbors of JCSU in Charlotte and will be sending their players to the 1,500 student campus. The conference is also attempting to include Bowie State of the Eastern Division because of its proximity to the Washington and Baltimore franchises. However the status of Bowie State's participation is still uncertain.
The purpose of the partnership is to assist c:ollege football administrators and coaches in helping football student-athletes understand tne value of developing "life skills" in an effort to improve their chances for success in academics, athletics and life beyond their collegiate experience. The effort is designed to utilize NFL resources and personnel to promote high standards of conduct and off-the-field achievement for college student-athletes.
The Life Skills Partnership comes to Johnson C Smith and Charlotte at a time when troubling events involving professional athletes have made headlines. However, Troupe says the partnership would have come to JCSU regardless of these events. "We started the partnership long before this took place," Troupe said "It's by chance we're there at this time The bottom line is that the message we're giving will impact athletes whether they are from Charlotte or not."