OLATHE, Kan. — Sunday was the first loss of the season for the Chiefs, but one wide receiver didn’t stay down in the dumps long.
Instead, Sammy Watkins gave dozens of kids reason to celebrate. He went from the field on Sunday night to the arcade on Monday night.
He hurt his hamstring battling the Colts, but that didn’t keep him from hanging out with 60 of his newest friends and being himself.
“Not so much of the football player, but the father, the son, the husband, and really see my open myself up and have fun,” Watkins said. “And that’s what I think it’s about, not just for the kids but for everyone, to see who we are and get the helmets off our heads and show the kid in us.”
Strike for Kids is a national nonprofit that partners with pro athletes to celebrate, encourage and spend time with local youth.
On Monday night, Watkins hung out with kids from the Boys and Girls Club at the Main Event in Olathe.
“I think he’s going to be super competitive with the kids,” said Joe Allen with the nonprofit. “We’ll have him in the arcade because they have unlimited game cards.”
“We can take pictures. We can smile. We can have fun, and I can beat people in bowling because I think that’s my second sport that I picked up in Buffalo,” Watkins said before the event. “I think I’m really good at bowling.”
Football players obviously take their profession seriously, but Watkins said doing stuff like this is just as enriching.
“We’re always serious and focus on family and being in the house and trying to take care of our bodies,” he said. “To come out here and actually enjoy and have fun with them, it’s definitely not only good for the kids — it’s good for us.”
Watkins also provided 250 backpacks for kids from the Boys and Girls Club.
