PHOENIX — Temperatures are spiking in the Valley after what was a fairly mild June, and Arizona Cardinals rookie offensive lineman Paris Johnson Jr. is making sure the folks at the UMOM New Day Center in Phoenix can stay hydrated during the heat wave.
Johnson Jr., along with his family, partnered with Swire Coca-Cola to donate more than 8,000 bottles of Dasani water to the center on Sunday. Johnson Jr. hopes this is just the beginning of his charitable work in the Valley.
"I feel that naturally, what I want to do is I want to be able to build a relationship with the community on a daily level," Johnson Jr. said. "But at the same time, I feel that it’s important. It’s getting hot out. For people to hydrate, I feel it’s essential.”
Johnson Jr. has split his time since being drafted in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Cardinals between Arizona and Ohio and told 12Sports that not having to go to class means he can spend even more time in the community.
"I feel like it’s cool because when we’re in different communities between here and Ohio, there are different needs that are going on in the different communities," Johnson Jr. said. "And as I spent more time in Arizona, naturally, I feel like I’ll find out what (if) any community can I add value to outside of the two pillars of my foundation already. What are other things going on in the community that I can help? I feel like in Ohio, you can’t go wrong with stuff like coats, but I feel like we’ll start off with water and we’ll see where this continues to build the community."
Johnson Jr. was joined by his parents at the UMOM Center on Sunday, who, it turns out, had just arrived in the Valley.
"They came, straight to business," Johnson Jr. said. "They landed, threw their stuff in the hotel, and came right here to set up and help me out. It’s awesome. They’re all about the foundation.”
Johnson Jr. will be back with his Cardinal teammates on July 25 when they report to training camp at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.