Before the youngsters hit the field at the 11th annual Palmer Williams Group Athletic Youth Camp on Saturday in Prichard, a few of the volunteer coaches introduced themselves and shared words of wisdom with the campers.
Brad Ford did not introduce himself as a former cornerback for Alabama and the Detroit Lions, but as a juvenile probation officer.
“I love to see you outside rather than inside locked up,” Ford said, and he advised the youngsters to “discipline yourself or someone else will do it for you.”
In an interview during a Gatorade break at the camp, Ford elaborated.
“The message is if you don’t do it as a parent – it starts with the parents – somebody else will,” Ford said. “The state of Alabama will. I’ve been there 22 years – Lee County Development Center. I see kids come and go all the time. It’s a cycle, so if we can stop that cycle at home, start treating them like they are kids and not try to make them more than who they are – just let them be kids, let them grow up as kids, have fun – they can enjoy the fruits of their labor. But if you don’t – well.”
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Ford credited his parents with seeing him through.
“I had – still got a strong mother and a strong father,” Ford said. “I talk to them every day. I just try to make them proud, even now at 50 years old. I carry that name Ford on the back for a reason, and I try not to disrespect that name. I just thank God for them.”
Ford said sports programs such as those sponsored by the Palmer Williams Group can help reduce his workload. The organization has programs in football, basketball, baseball, soccer and cheerleading.
“It plays a major role,” Ford said. “You can see how many kids are out here. How many coaches are out here volunteering – because we’ve been on that other side, too. I came from the projects, so I understand it’s going to take a whole village to raise a kid. In this day and time, people don’t look at it like that. I still do. I value young kids at an early age because now these kids are growing up on their own. There’s no such thing as grandmas no more, Big Mamas no more, so the kids are learning through television, social media.
“If we can get back to them and show them that love still works because people still care, we’ll be all right.”
Former Alabama running back Sherman Williams and wide receiver David Palmer formed the Palmer Williams Group in 2014. The former NFL players sought a way to influence disadvantaged youngsters in a positive manner before they became acclimated to the negative influences so common around them. The organization was born shortly after Williams completed 15 years of incarceration after being found guilty by a federal jury in Mobile of one count of conspiracy to distribute marijuana and two counts of attempting to possess marijuana with intent to distribute.
“I’m thankful for everything,” Ford said. “Shouldn’t be here. Me and Sherman go back a long way. I was with Sherman when he was incarcerated, and we talked, I’d say, just about every month. And so for him to come back and give back to the community and show them that even though you’ve fallen, you can get back up, you’ve got to stay strong. And I love Sherman for that, and I love Sherman for allowing me to come out, meet new guys and new coaches. I’m still learning. The more I learn, the more we all learn, and they’re going to reap the benefits of it, so thank God for that.”
Saturday wasn’t Ford’s first appearance at the camp. Working with youngsters from 4 through 13 years old, Ford displays a mixture of a patient explanation and hands-on enthusiasm that makes him stand out on the field.
“If I’m out here, I need to do the work,” Ford said. “It’s more important than me. It’s not about me. A lot of people know me – I don’t talk football. I don’t even talk University of Alabama. I don’t like talking about the NFL because that’s something I used to do, and people look at you a little different.
“This is what I love. I love being out here with the kids. Mobile, Birmingham, Dadeville where I’m from -- I can go anywhere because I love kids. I know a kid’s got to be a kid at heart, and I’ve got a heart for the kids.”
An All-State wide receiver at Dadeville in 1991, Ford played at Fresno City College in 1992 and 1993 before his two seasons at Alabama in 1994 and 1995, when he was a teammate of Williams. His time in the Crimson Tide secondary included a 46-yard interception return for a touchdown in a 33-25 victory over Vanderbilt to open the 1995 season.
A fourth-round selection in the 1996 NFL Draft, Ford played a single season with the Lions. With roster measurements of 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, Ford played a game built on speed that would seem better suited for today’s passing-heavy NFL than for the sport of three decades ago. But Ford said he wouldn’t trade his time in football for today’s game.
“Even though it’s softer now, more tag-touch than it is football, I don’t think so,” Ford said. “The NIL deals and the ways you can coach now is different. It’s totally different. I wouldn’t want to play now.”
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.