Say what you will about professional athletes, some are knuckleheads, some have inflated opinions of themselves and some of them are just genuinely good people who care. Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks is one of those people who care.
Smith, an Atlanta native is doing something that he (a) didn't have to and (b) did because he had met the people involved.
Last month we told you about the murder of McEachern High School (outside Atlanta) football player Rajaan Bennett. Bennett, the captain of the football team who had signed a scholorship to play football at Vanderbilt was killed in his home trying to help his family escape his mothers former boyfriend who was holding them at gunpoint.
More from Michael Cunningham's Hawks Blog on AJC.com RIGHT HERE
((Rajaan Bennett playing football//Courtesy: AJC File Photo))
Smith, who went to McEachern, still works out there in the offseason. He had met Bennett during one of those workouts and came away very impressed. After he heard what had happened, Smith stepped up and has pledged to cover the next 6 months of living expenses for the Bennett family. The Hawks will also recognize Bennett this coming Saturday before they play the Detroit Pistons.
We have interviewed Smith many times over past several years and have seen him grow from unsure teenager with freakish athletic skill to a man who has become aware of the world around him and has begun harnessing all of that skill. The OSG salutes Smith for trying to do something good and show that he and other athletes do care about what happens inside of their communities.
For those of you not familiar with Mr. Smith, here is some video of him in the 2005 NBA Slam Dunk Competiton. Thanks You Tube:
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