Minnesota Vikings linebacker Brian Asamoah II is in the midst of his second season in the NFL after having a standout collegiate career at Oklahoma.
The 23-year-old defensive player is a part of the Vikings' rotation that is seventh in points allowed and 13th in yards allowed this season as Minnesota is 7-7 through 15 weeks.
Asamoah is among the players who have realized how big their platform is and that they can give back to their own communities in more ways than one. This month, as part of the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats campaign, Asamoah decided to inspire kids to chase their dreams in the classroom and on the field. He also showed support for Ghanaian youth after living in the African nation when he was 10.
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"My cleats were inspired by Be Authentic. Be Authentic is my foundation, and my foundation is just basically giving kids an opportunity to go out there and chase their dreams academically and in sports," he told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. "Much like me growing up, I was thrown into sports at a very young age, and my parents told me to try and do it, and I was super excited."
"But in order for me to go out there and play sports, my mom and my dad always told me that I had to also take care of things in class. So, sometimes I was staying after school to get some extra work in the classroom and to also enhance my abilities, not only in the classroom but on the football field."
He said he wanted to give kids a "real opportunity" in Minnesota, Columbus, Ohio – where he grew up – and in Ghana to create an environment in which kids can learn and also thrive in sports.
Asamoah wore a headband with Ghana’s colors on it at times during the season and had cleats that honored the Ghana Black Stars. His My Cause My Cleats footwear has the Be Authentic name emblazoned on it mixed with the colors of the country’s flag.
He explained to Fox News Digital that he lived with his uncle in Ghana for a year when he was 10 years old, which helped change his perspective on life.
"I loved every bit of it because, obviously, I wasn’t born there like my older siblings, so that gave me an opportunity to see what life was like outside of the United States," he said. "I got to see a different type of lens and also had some sort of appreciation for where I was because of how life was so different."
Asamoah said that once he got back to the U.S., he determined that he wasn’t going to take anything for granted and was going to do everything he could to pursue his dream of becoming a pro football player.
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He suggested that his learning experiences is why he’s able to stay level-headed in a time of tumult like Minnesota has experienced this season.
"At the end of the day, you got to focus on you. You’ve got to handle what needs to be handled right in front of you, whatever task, because this is a 100% guaranteed football spot, and the more you’re in this thing, the more the focus is on football. There’s always this saying, ‘We’re bigger than football.’ Football players are bigger than just athletes, and I think that’s 100% true."
"People got to find their passion outside of football because you don’t want to look up after playing 10 years in the league, saying, like, dang, I was just a football player in my career. I want myself and I want others also to figure out ways to expand themselves. It’s all about connections and people. Being in the National Football League right now gives us such a platform to shake hands with a lot of people, and we get to also take advantage of those opportunities to chase our dreams."
In 26 career games, Asamoah has 24 tackles and a fumble recovery.
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