Orlando Franklin: On giving back to the community through charitable work

Denver Broncos offensive lineman

Orlando Franklin is giving Yahoo Canada Sports an exclusive first-person account of life in the NFL. Franklin grew up in Toronto before playing at the University of Miami and was drafted by the Broncos in the second round in 2011.

I have a foundation called the Orlando Franklin Foundation, based out of Toronto, to help at-risk teens in their transition to adulthood. The reason I chose to start this charity was to help kids because I was an at-risk teen myself. I could have got caught up in anything growing up in Toronto community housing. It’s not really a matter of if you’re going to get caught up; it’s a matter of when you’re going to get into it, because you’re a product of your environment. You just see people doing different things to get money or get by, because the lifestyle is so rough. When you get to a certain age, you just think “I’m going to go steal a car” or “I’m going to rob a person.”

When I got myself in trouble, my mom wasn’t having it so she would hit me, she felt that was the right discipline action. When I was younger me and my mom got into an argument, and my mom hit me. I ended up calling the police on her, and then ended up in a group home in Toronto for a little bit over a year. As a kid you listen to your friends when they say “If your parent hits you, you should call 911” and stuff like that, and that’s what I ended up doing.

If I could do it all over again – I wouldn’t take anything from my past back because it turned me into the person I am today – but I would not have called the cops if I knew I was going to be away from my family for over a year. I’m glad my mom took the disciplinary action she needed because at the end of the day I wouldn’t be where I am if she didn’t.

Through my foundation, I’ve spoken to over 20 schools in the Greater Toronto Area, I’ve spoken to five or six different group homes. I’ve spoken to a halfway house for teens – I try to go back and speak as much as I can in the community. I let these kids know that they can’t really tell me anything that I don’t know or haven’t experienced because I was in their shoes. I had a rough upbringing, I had a rough lifestyle. But I was able to say “No.”

Yes, I got myself into trouble but I was able to make a choice and realize that if I work hard and make the right decisions I can do anything I want. The reason why I go to these schools is to explain to these kids that they can achieve anything they want to in life. The question is, how hard are they willing to work, and what are they willing to sacrifice to make sure they’re successful?

If you would have told me when I was 16 that I would graduate from high school and go on to the University of Miami, and play college football, then be drafted in the second round, 46^th overall, in the NFL draft and sign a multi-million contract – I would have looked at you like you were crazy. I definitely did not see that in my future.

When I was at Miami, between the ages of 18 and 22, I lived in a townhouse with two other roommates. When you’re 18 at Miami, it’s like you get the keys to the city – everybody knows you, they want you to party and stuff. I had to make a decision right then. The football team practiced at 5:30 in the morning. So I had to make that sacrifice to go to bed every night at 9:30 or 10 o’clock in order to be on that practice field at 5:30. At some point you need to make decisions and make a sacrifice in order to get to where you want to get to.

You don’t have to be an athlete though to escape that life – you just can’t be a follower. Being a follower is going to get you caught up. As long as you have a dream, I encourage kids to work hard and make sacrifices. I’m living proof that you can be anything and do anything you want to do.

I’m all about just bringing something back to the community and just talking to the kids. I do a lot of events for kids out of pocket because I don’t need people to donate because I want to give back to my community.

Follow Orlando Franklin on Twitter and Instagram.

More from Orlando Franklin:

-How football led me down the right path, and to protecting Peyton Manning

-Giving thanks to the mentors who helped me get where I am today

-On being part of history, and what it takes to win big games

-A look inside the week-long grind of an NFL player

-What went wrong against the Patriots, and how we fix it

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