by Shawn Nowlin
It’s not every day that a Super Bowl Champion visits the Star City to emphasize the importance of reading, not taking shortcuts in life and other important life lessons to the youth. Through a partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Southwest Virginia and COX Communications, dozens of local children got to enjoy that experience on Aug. 28.
During his Roanoke visit, Malcolm Mitchell shared a powerful message of resiliency, respect and encouragement. The importance of dignity was also heavily emphasized. When Mitchell came out, he was met with many screams and high-fives. When the event concluded, he received another rush of hugs.
Present for the occasion were COX Marketing Vice President Jeff Merritt, Boys & Girls Club CEO Rebekah Meadows, Mayor Sherman Lea and several parents.
“You have to wake up every day and simply try. It is not always easy. I understand that through personal experience, but life has shown me that through perseverance, you can certainly make amazing things happen,” he said.
From 2016-18, Mitchell played for the New England Patriots, helping the team win Super Bowl LI over the Atlanta Falcons. The 11th wide receiver selected, Mitchell was chosen with the 112th pick in the fourth round.
Playing for head coach Mark Richt from 2011-15 at the University of Georgia put Mitchell on the football map. When he began college in Athens, his reading skills were at a middle-school level. By putting just as much effort into his studies as he did his football preparation, he made leaps and bounds in just one year. By the end of his sophomore campaign, Mitchell was reading several books a month and actively engaged in various reading clubs across campus.
The Magician’s Hat, Mitchell’s first released book, came out in 2016. One Amazon review read, “This children’s picture book features David, the Magician, who loves to perform magic. David knows the magical power of books, which can explore dreams and develop creativity.”
Mitchell’s background and upbringing make him extremely relatable to today’s youth. Standing 6’2 and weighing approximately 220 pounds, he is a large human being. Despite his physical stature, Mitchell explained to all in attendance that hard work is how he got to where he is today.
Injuries forced Mitchell to retire from the NFL in 2019. Since then, his foundation, Share the Magic, has raised money and gathered resources to transform the lives of children nationwide through reading.
