By now you have Antoine Winfield Jr.’s infamous peace sign. seen giving LV to Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill during Super Bowl. It was a heat-of-the-moment gesture when Winfield came up with a crucial pass break-up and playfully wanted to remind Hill of his actions the last time the two teams met in week 12. Hill had, after a backflip in the end zone in front of Winfield, giving him a peace sign that had become one of Hill’s signature celebrations.
The referee at the time threw a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct and the NFL subsequently fined Winfield $ 7,815 for the gesture. These types of fines are not uncommon in the NFL due to the competitive nature of the players, but Winfield Jr. decided he would also match the amount that would be given to charity to make it right. It was his way of changing the situation.
“Because it got a lot of media attention, it was out there and I just wanted to run it in a way to make it positive,” Winfield said. And what better way than to give back to the Youth Leadership program that I have been doing all year round? That kind of came about because I thought about different things I could do. I spent all year with the kids and talk to them and everything, so I think that was a good opportunity to go with those guys. “
He is referring to the Buccaneers Youth Leadership Program, a first of its kind to provide support to Tampa students, launched as part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Social Justice Initiative. The program is a collaborative effort of Bucs players and staff and features players and 25 staff who serve as mentors to 25 students at Young Middle School, a title 1 school in East Tampa. Winfield has had the same three students in his group for six virtual gatherings so far. It has given him the opportunity to get to know each child and create a lasting impact on them as the program continues throughout the school year.
“Being able to talk to the children and learn more about what’s going on in their lives and their perspectives on life itself was a fun experience because you really get more out of it by learning from them than they have from us learned, ”said Winfield. “It was just great to build those relationships with those kids and see where they come from and just guide them in the best possible way and give them advice on just about anything. It always feels good to do that in the community and with the kids. They’re the next generation so I loved just talking to those kids and giving them advice and guiding them in the right direction. “