PHOENIX — Arizona Cardinals quarterback Colt McCoy spent his morning teaching football skills, signing autographs, and answering questions from the students at Esperanza Elementary School of the Isaac School District in Phoenix on Wednesday.
The team’s mascot Big Red and Arizona Cardinals cheerleaders joined McCoy at the “Fuel Up To Play 60” Youth Football Training Camp presented by the Arizona Dairy Council. The goal of the non-contact camp and community activation was to reinforce the importance of education and physical activity.
“The kids were really happy with the Cardinals were here. I'm thankful to be part of our organization where we really strive to reach out in the community, especially the kids,” McCoy, a father of four, said. “Making an impact on that part of our community has been a blessing to me.”
After the kids completed their station rotations at the skills camp, they were able to ask the Cardinals cheerleaders and McCoy questions. Some kids wanted to know their favorite color; others wanted to know why the Cardinals didn’t make it to the Super Bowl this year.
“Anytime you open it up to Q & A to kids, you never know what's coming out of their mouth,” McCoy said. “But they're big Cardinals fans. They wanted to know a lot about our team and our recent success and struggles and I tried to be as honest as I could. Last year was tough with so many injuries.”
The Cardinals could be without their franchise quarterback Kyler Murray at the start of the upcoming season as he continues recovering from ACL surgery. Team owner Michael Bidwill revealed in the latest episode of “The Dave Pasch Podcast” that McCoy, who will turn 37 years old in September, is coming back from an injury that will limit him during this offseason. McCoy is coming off his 13th NFL season but the challenges the Cardinals faced in 2022 were unique and seemingly, never ending.
"I’ve played for a long time in my career and that was as depleted as a roster as I've been a part of and that's just part of the game. It's unfortunate,” McCoy said. “Hopefully, you never have to experience that again and we're working hard.”
McCoy’s message to the students of Esperanza: the two things you can control are your attitude and your effort. The NFL veteran said he’s seen Murray in the training facility attacking his rehab but McCoy said the possibility that he might be the starter come September won’t change his attitude or effort when it comes to preparation.
Follow the conversation with Lina Washington on Twitter: @LWashingtonTV. If you have a sports story idea, e-mail Lina at LWashington@12News.com.
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