Before fully committing to football, Detroit Lions defensive tackle DJ Reader was a pretty good baseball player.
As a pitcher, his fastball touched the low 90's, and to the surprise of no one who has seen the athletic, 335-pounder operate in his current profession, his right-handed swing packed massive power. He batted better than .500 his junior and senior years and was one of the top high school recruits out of the state of North Carolina.
Reader signed to the Lions as a free agent this offseason after four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. And everywhere Reader goes, the Lions defensive lineman tries to leave an imprint – not just on the football field, but in the cities where he plays.
Back in his baseball-playing days, Reader carried an old bat in his equipment bag. Really old. He would take cuts with it, but he never used it to hit. It was too valuable, sentimentally more than anything. The bat belonged to his grandfather, Ervin Lee Ford.
Ford – nicknamed Thunderbird for his speed on the basepaths – is a member of North Carolina A&T's Hall of Fame. He played for the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro Leagues, and later broke the color barrier for the Appleton Papermakers, a farm team for the Boston Braves.
Ford is the root of Reader's athleticism, the nature of his story. The athletic prowess didn't even bother to skip a generation; Reader's mother, Felicia, was a talented softball player, earning a scholarship to follow in Ford's footsteps at A&T, where she hit third in the Aggies' lineup. She too had a sweet power stroke, and just like her son, claims to have had deceptive speed for her size.
But Felicia, who still lives in North Carolina and traveled to Detroit this week to support her son's first community event since he signed with the Lions this offseason, passed down toher son another family trait: Community service.
At home, in North Carolina, Reader has partnered with the United Way and runs a free youth football camp annually. In Houston, where was drafted and spent the first four years of his pro career, he received the prestigious honor of
being the Texans' Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee for his contributions on and off the field. And in Cincinnati, Reader has opened two resource rooms, with a third on the way, to support local students in that community.
His ability to have an impact on the field is in a holding pattern while he currently rehabs from a torn quadricep suffered near the end of last season. But while that waits, his ability to make his mark on Detroit-area youth has no such restrictions.
On Monday, representing his foundation "A Son Never Forgets," Reader appeared at a back-to-school event at Paul Robeson Malcolm X Academy on the city's west side, meeting with students and parents, supporting a dental screening initiative while handing out backpacks, school supplies and food provided by his foundation.
His foundation's name is in honor of his father, David, who died of kidney failure a decade ago when Reader was 19.
Where Reader's athleticism is in his nature, a genetic gift, his giving spirit is firmly rooted in his nurture. Both David and Felicia always emphasized to their children the importance of giving back to their community. As a family, they volunteered at soup kitchens and the Salvation Army, and helped install rain barrels in flooded areas of North Carolina that were ravaged by a hurricane.
Before David's kidneys gave out, he suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. Yet despite the challenging physical ailments, Reader doesn't recall his father ever having a bad day.
"One thing he always did a great job with was controlling his attitude," Reader said. "I think that's kind of paved the man I am. I tell people all the time, 'If you don't see life as glass half full, me and you probably don't see life the same.' That's kind of how I go about it. I've been immensely blessed because of it."
David was a teacher. So is Reader's brother. The Lions lineman has always had a great respect for educators, who he believes have the ability to influence youth more than anyone outside parents. And Reader's parents are joyful. He points to his mother across the gym at Monday's event, highlighting her laughing. "She's always smiling, always like that," Reader said.
The joy Reader's parents experienced helping others rubbed off. He knew, from an early age, he wanted to help. The fact that he sees the same attitude in his young son and he gets to honor his parents, while extending the legacy of his father after his life was cut short, only makes it all the better.
"It's just important that it's happening, that somebody is turning the wheel," Reader said. "If I wasn't doing it, it wouldn't be happening. That's the biggest thing. The satisfaction I get out of it is seeing people getting the help that they need, and things getting done are helping the community.
"That's all you can really do," he added. "I think when you give back, that's all you can really do is try to put your imprint out there and hope those things impact in a positive way."