PHILADELPHIA — Eagles All-Pro cornerback James Bradberry can still vividly recall memories as a child with his late grandmother, Glennie Marie Wilson, back in the family’s hometown of Pleasant Grove, Ala.
As Bradberry and his younger sister, Takia, developed into their teenage years in a single-parent household, their mother, Rosie, helped move Wilson into a nearby retirement community. When Bradberry wasn’t playing youth football or basketball, he often visited his grandmother, and he remembers interacting with her elderly neighbors.
Bradberry experienced a full-circle moment Tuesday afternoon when he and his 3-year-old daughter, Xena, visited residents at the Simpson House senior care facility in West Philadelphia.
“It means a lot, truly,” Bradberry said. “I’m doing this, first and foremost, really on behalf of my grandmother because she had a similar experience, and remembering the process we had to go through with her.
“Originally I didn’t expect the residents to be so enthusiastic about it. But they showed so much energy, so much enthusiasm with what we have going on.”
As part of his visit, Bradberry donated hundreds of pairs of Hoka shoes to residents and he also spent time interacting and playing various games with the group. Bradberry recently became the first NFL player to become a Hoka ambassador, signing with the brand after Super Bowl LVII.
“The cool part of it is Hoka doesn’t make football cleats or anything, they’re for running,” Bradberry said. “But that’s my livelihood. I do a lot of running in the offseason as part of my training. It was significant to partner up with them to provide for the elderly, to make sure they’re taken care of, too, just like my grandmother.”
According to the facility’s regional director of marketing, Tiffany Flynn, Simpson House is a not-for-profit retirement community that has served seniors since 1865.
“We look for opportunities for our residents to thrive. We are so grateful that James chose to share his day with us,” Flynn said. “For many of our residents and staff, this is a memory they will never forget.”
Added 88-year-old resident Phyllis Belk: “Several weeks ago, the word was out that we might be getting some footwear, so we signed up with our size. But this was such a splendid surprise. To be handed new pairs of shoes directly from James, that’s uplifting for our entire community. The energy level is high, it’s special.”
Bradberry’s visit at Simpson House occurred just days after he hosted his youth camp in Birmingham, Ala. There, he was joined by a handful of his former college teammates from Samford. While the camp featured several football-related drills, Bradberry said one of the main purposes of his camp was to show children in attendance that there are opportunities away from the football field.
“It was fun, I got to be around a lot of kids from the inner city,” he said. “I feel like they definitely needed my presence and the presence of other guys that came through. I had a lot of smart teammates at Samford who went on from being football players to being doctors, physical therapists, financial advisers — so it was a plethora of careers. At some point, football is going to run its time, so that was what I wanted to showcase to the kids in the inner city.”
Bradberry, who turns 30 in August, re-signed with the Eagles in free agency on a three-year contract worth $38 million. At the time of his new deal, he told The Philadelphia Inquirer he declined more lucrative offers after he registered the best season of his career. The seven-year veteran earned All-Pro honors after finishing third in the NFL in passes defensed (17). Since 2016, Bradberry leads all NFL defensive backs in passes defensed (99).
Bradberry is looking forward to the start of training camp. The reigning NFC champion Eagles are scheduled to report on July 25 at the NovaCare Complex.
“I’m ready to get out on the field and be around the rookies we have and some of the new free agents we have coming in as well,” Bradberry said. “It’s almost go time. At this point, it’s about to be all business, and we need to get better.
“[My offseason] training has been fun, I tried to keep the same training regimen I’ve had throughout my career, but recently, I’ve focused more on a whole lot more recovery stuff. That’s the name of the game, man. We had a long season last year, and I expect us to have a long season again this year. So recovery is going to be so important for me right now and during the season.”
