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Philadelphia Eagles safety Rodney McLeod (23) celebrates with fans after making an interception against Washington Football Team quarterback Taylor Heinicke (4) in the final minute the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md. Philadelphia won 20-16. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Since 2021, the Next Man Up mentorship program, founded by former Philadelphia Eagles football player Rodney McCleod, has sought to change the trajectory of young men’s lives at Parkway Northwest High School.
William McCants, a physical education and health teacher for 25 years, is the school coordinator at Parkway Northwest of Next Man Up mentorship program, which currently has about 13 students participating.
In September, Next Man Up expanded into Furness High School in South Philadelphia. Another 17 students signed up for the program at Parkway Northwest, but the program will likely only accept between seven to 10 additional students.
“The program has a couple of different goals. One of the goals is for each mentee to have 90% attendance during the school year,” McCants said. “Another goal is to have 80% of the mentees get A’s and B’s in their core classes and be on track for graduation.”
The group is also expected to engage in their community, which McCants says includes feeding the homeless at shelters, neighborhood cleanups and taking dinners to senior citizens centers.
“We’ve been hitting all of our goals,” McCants said. “I’ve noticed maturity in their approach to school and leadership in general.”
During meetings twice a month the students attend workshops by experts on topics like financial literacy, leadership, mental health, real estate and team building. The group also takes field trips with activities like bowling, flag football and venues with games.
Jaylen Washington, a 17-year-old senior at Parkway, described the mentorship program as a brotherhood.
“We rely upon each other for support, love, building bonds and breaking curses,” Washington said. “The tools that our mentors provide us with help strengthen us as people and individuals.”
Former Eagles player McCleod, who now plays for the Cleveland Browns, knows firsthand what it means to have a mentor and the impact it can have on a young person’s life.
McCleod, 34, recalled joining the Eagles in 2016 and sharing locker space with popular player Malcolm Jenkins, whom he considered to be a mentor. Both men played the safety position. Jenkins retired from the National Football League (NFL) in 2022.
“I had a chance to see how he (Jenkins) structured his days, how he prepared not only on the field, but the things that he was able to accomplish off the field,” McCleod said. “Seeing somebody that close and having the opportunity to ask questions and see them in real time, was a game changer for me.”
Jenkins, McLeod, and the Eagles won a Super Bowl in 2017.
Today, Change Our Future Foundation, a nonprofit founded by McCleod and his wife Erika in 2020, is dedicated to education, leadership, and career development, focusing on underserved communities.
The foundation’s “Next Man Up,” mentorship program, focuses on community enrichment, financial literacy, personal development, and leadership.
“A mentor serves as someone there to aid another through life, or through a singular moment in that person’s journey or could just be a sound board for them to just be able to offer a lending hand,” McCleod said. “We are trying to help our young people who are up and coming, follow the path of success like myself and others, so they don’t stumble. We want to be a guide for them to have a successful life.”
Mentors like Jenkins played a major role in his career, McCleod said.
A two-time Super Bowl winner with the New Orleans Saints and the Eagles, Jenkins was also recognized during his NFL career by his peers and the industry, for his advocacy for social justice. In addition, his Malcolm Jenkins Foundation adopted several schools in Philadelphia, opening bank accounts for students and focusing on financial literacy and leadership.
In 2017, Jenkins received the National Football League Players Association’s Byron White Award for his philanthropic efforts through his foundation in Philadelphia, New Jersey and New Orleans.
“We don’t necessarily label a lot of individuals as mentors, we look at them as big brothers or ‘OGs,’ McCleod said. “I’ve had several in my life, whether it be a coach who offers advice or instilled confidence in me. There was something that they saw, a vision in myself that I didn’t necessarily see.”
According to a 2023 study by MENTOR National, 85% of young people with a mentor said the relationship helped them with issues related to school or education; 75% of people said a mentor had contributed significantly to their success later in life; and 58% of young people with a mentor said the relationship had supported their mental health.
Based in Boston, MENTOR is a nonprofit group that advocates for mentoring and tracks figures on the practice.
McCleod, in his 13th season in the NFL, grew up in Maryland and graduated from DeMatha Catholic High School. He and his wife Erika are both graduates of the University of Virginia.
“We started the program to help address generational stigmas and statistically low percentages of Black male college students, teachers and on-time high school graduation rates among African American male students,” Erika McLeod said in a statement. “The program helps students understand the value of education. Good students become good husbands, good fathers and good men. Next Man Up develops and motivates these young males to grab the torch of success for the next generation to follow.”
McCleod said that some young men of color may not have a father in their home or other positive role models. Sometimes in their search they may gravitate towards negative role models.
Maurice Floyd, a long-time political consultant agreed. He said mentors were invaluable to his career and in turn, Floyd has mentored others.
“You help them to shape and define themselves,” Floyd said. “A lot of times young people are just looking for answers and they don’t really know what they are looking for. That can drift into two ways – something negative or something positive, depending on who influences them.”
McCleod said he asks mentees to commit to giving back to the next generation when they become successful.
He is looking for mentors to join the cause. To do so, please go to the website: www.changeourfuture.com.
“We want to be able to change the narrative,” McCleod said. “We know that people are going to stumble. We need more Black male representation to place our hands around them in times of need.”