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Nimitz grad Michael Thomas talks homecoming with Texans, Nimitz HS, George Floyd
HOUSTON - Michael Thomas is back in his hometown.
The former Nimitz High School standout signed with the Houston Texans back in April after spending last season with the New York Giants. In his short time being officially back in Houston, Thomas didn't waste any time reaching out to his community.
On Monday, Thomas shared an inspirational two-minute speech not only for Nimitz High School but for all of Aldine ISD's 2020 graduates during a virtual event put on by the district.
"It was a huge honor for them to ask me to speak to not just my high school but the whole school district's 2020 graduates," Thomas said during a conference call with Houston media on Wednesday. "It's an honor for me, just 12 years since I graduated from Nimitz to be asked to come back and speak. For me, I was like all right, that's pretty cool to have all the students want me to come back and speak."
During a 17 minute and 52 second video called Aldine ISD Class of 2020: Destined, which was posted on the Aldine ISD Facebook page on Monday night, Thomas delivered his message wearing a gray t-shirt with the word EXCUSES with a line drawn through it.
"I just want to say congratulations to all the 2020 seniors who are graduating from high school," Thomas said during the video. "Congratulations, you did it! I know you all have had long nights. Studying for tests, writing papers and finishing projects. You probably thought this day would never come. All the memories you created, the games, the competitions, the performances. All the jokes made in the hallways, cafeterias and class rooms. All the times you've laughed, all the times you've cried. All the videos you've made for your Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok's. These are the moments that will last forever. No, this is not the vision you had as freshmen with nerves and scared of what high school would be like. But today, you are still here in your cap and gowns around your family accomplishing a huge goal."
Thomas spoke for nearly two minutes (8:25-10:30) in the Aldine ISD video to the Class of 2020.
"I always have love for Aldine," Thomas said. "I always come back and do my summer camps and speak to the kids all the time and they receive it well."
Being a staple in the community, speaking up on social issues - such as the recent death of George Floyd - and focusing on education is something that Thomas dates back to his high school days and the lessons his mother instilled in him at a young age.
"That's something she preached all the time, education and being a community leader," Thomas said. "I think the way I've evolved is understanding that as an athlete, a student-athlete at that time to now a professional athlete, my voice probably carries a little bit more weight than the other students and as a professional it's carrying a little bit more weight than a regular – not a regular, but a non-professional athlete, a citizen. I have a duty in my mind, this is where I was raised by my mom, to speak out if there's social issues that are going on and that need addressing because people listen to us regardless if we're talking about cancer awareness or anti-bullying and stuff like that. Our voices amplify those causes, so when it comes to social justice issues, our voices can amplify them as well and I saw that.
"How I've evolved is OK, I never saw myself as an activist, but when it came time for athletes to step up and use their voice and use their platforms to speak on this, I was doing it because I thought that was the right thing to do. That was just who I am because of who my mom raised me to be. That's probably how I've evolved on that front. With education, that's something that my mom instilled in all her kids, all of us growing up, and I think that's a great way for anybody, an athlete or non-athlete to have upward mobility in life. So, giving out those scholarships, always speaking about SAT and ACT prep, financial literacy, those are the types of things that I will continue to do even probably after my career is over with because I know that's what's going to help these kids who grew up in the same communities I grew up in, the Aldine area, and neighboring cities in Houston, that's what's going to help them have upward mobility and it's going to carry them a long way whether they're playing sports or not."
Unlike during his previous year in the NFL, which were spent in Miami and New York, Thomas now has the chance to be even more involved in the community that raised him.
Signing with the Houston Texans brought him home, which the Nimitz alum is excited about.
"Just seeing all the love and appreciation I got from my family, friends I grew up with, people who might have known me just from following my career from when I was playing at Nimitz, it was overwhelming," Thomas said. "Then it just started to hit me, like, wait, I'm really going to get a chance to play for the hometown team and get chance to help this team win. It's overwhelming. I'm super excited for it to try to bring wins to this town. I know how much the Texans mean to the city of Houston."
Excited I get to play at the crib 🤘🏿!!! @HoustonTexans #WeAreTexans #NoExcuses pic.twitter.com/Lp7TAN81af
— Michael Thomas (@Michael31Thomas) April 27, 2020
More from Michael Thomas ...
What has the communication been like amongst you and your teammates since the murder of George Floyd?
"First I'd say, there's so many teammates, ex-teammates, current teammates, who have reached out to each other, just showing support. Those especially who aren't African American and aren't black, to see them reach out to myself or players that they know have been trying to use their voice or their platform to speak out against police brutality or trying to speak for justice. That's been heartfelt, that's been touching because I know it's genuine. To see the players behind the scenes like Kenny Stills and myself – we can't be face-to-face all the time so it's like 'look, there's a march today. These people are speaking. Do you want to help speak? Do you want to just be a part of it, be a part of the hurt and the healing process and just being with the people?' That's been what it's like behind the scenes, everybody reaching out to each other, showing love, showing support and just saying what can we do to help lean in on it. Especially for the current players on the Texans – I'm new, so I'm getting a chance to learn everybody and meet everybody for the first time virtually. It's been a great process because even though we can't be face to face, we're still trying to build that bond."
What is it like for you to be home in your community with everything going on right now?
"It's always great to be able to be with the people who are in the grassroots level doing the work every single day, because then you really know what's needed. If people ask, "What can I do?" I know that this branch and this organization has been doing it for a long time and this is how you can help. You can either donate time or monetary donations and stuff to this organization, because that's who's really going to help try to create real change. Being on the ground here in Houston, I know that Congresswoman Jackson Lee is pushing for this bill, and this bill is going to try to bring about change towards police brutality. So, I can tell the people, "Look, on this level, this is what we have to do to vote, and this is what we should vote for, this is the bill or the legislation we should be voting for." That's been how I can help right now in Houston. I've got my daughter, she's five years old, about to turn six, just graduated from kindergarten and she sees it every day. As a parent sometimes you're like when is the right time to have those conversations with your kids, and you can try to shelter it because you want them just to be a kid, just to live their life, but at the same time they see it, and you've got to have those real conversations. Sometimes they're uncomfortable. Being in the thick of it, being home, it's being able to help with the grassroots level and saying hey, for everybody who is looking for something to do, how they can give back, I can help facilitate like look this is where we need to go to try to actually have sustainable change and a sustainable impact in this community, and also understanding my personal family, we're in the thick of it. I got to explain to my kids this is what's going on and this is why."
K'Lavon Chaisson: North Shore coach Jon Kay reminisces on the potential first-round NFL Draft pick
HOUSTON - For this Hollywood movie, the script writes itself.
A kid from the East Side of Houston, who didn't play football his sophomore year of high school, would grow up to be a state champion, national champion and now potentially a soon-to-be first round NFL draft pick.
Before K'Lavon Chaisson was making national headlines for the 2019 National Champion LSU Tigers, he was representing North Shore High School , and to go where his story begins, you have to go back to the first coach who saw the potential - North Shore head coach Jon Kay.
"Obviously, he's a gifted athlete. I think his first love at the time was really basketball," Kay said reflecting back to his first memories of meeting K'Lavon. "He ended up finishing out the football season [his freshman year] but didn't play his sophomore year at North Shore. He just played straight basketball. We made another run at him in the spring of his sophomore year. Got him out at spring football and once he came out there you could tell he was incredibly gifted athletically, but was still a very raw football player."
Kay and his staff took that rawness, transformed it and the results were virtually immediate.
In Chaisson's junior season is here where he broke out In his first varsity game in 2015, it came against Clear Springs - a 49-13 victory. He didn't start that day but when he came in, he came off the edge and got a sack, which was a sign for what was to come.
That season, Chaisson battled some injuries including suffering a hairline fracture in his clavicle. He missed time during the season, Kay said and as their playoff push carried on Chaisson was cleared to play in games but not participate in practice.
North Shore reached the Class 6A Division I State Championship game in 2015 - which was Kay's second year of being the Mustangs' head coach - and was set to face Sam Ehlinger and the Austin Westlake Chaps inside NRG Stadium on December 19, 2015.
"So, here you have a kid playing in his first full varsity year and he didn't take a single snap in pads that entire week of the state championship game leading up to Westlake," Kay recalled. "Later on when I went back to watch the practice film he's in a sling standing there behind the offense while we were practicing. He was completely engaged in the gameplan and what was going on. Then he went out and played phenomenal and made the play to end the game in overtime at the goal line."
No practice, no problem.
In the state title game, Chaisson had a fumble recovery and blocked a potentially game-winning 32-yard field goal by Westlake with 16 seconds left in the fourth quarter, which forced overtime. His final play to cement the Hollywood script - he blew up a trick play in the backfield in overtime, which sealed the 21-14 victory for North Shore.
"The thing about K'Lavon was the way he prepared and I think he carried that with him to LSU," Kay said.
Chaisson's work ethic carried over to the Tigers, where he helped LSU win the 2019 National Championship defeating the Clemson Tigers in New Orleans this past January.
Now, Chaisson is projected to be a first-round draft pick. 2020 NFL Mock Drafts have the defensive end being picked in the mid-first round, a majority going with the Atlanta Falcons at No. 16 or the Dallas Cowboys at No. 17. Both need a pass rusher.
"I think athletically he had the potential to do that, but it's just so hard to tell at the high school level," Kay said about if he thought K'Lavon was first-round caliber back in high school. "We've seen a lot of kids with the potential to be NFL athletes. The problem is it takes a lot more than just athleticism to be an NFL athlete and I think that's where he made his mark when he went to LSU and did some of the same things.
"I think the best football of his career is ahead of him," "He's not a guy that's peaked out. I think he's got a lot of football ahead of him. He's going to learn a lot more. He's the kind of athlete that has the physical tools and the mental capacity to put it all together and be the kind of player that can stand out in the league."
The most recent former North Shore players to be drafted have been Emeke Egbule in 2019 (200th by the Chargers) and Dorance Armstrong in 2018. Armstrong went on to play at Kansas after his time at North Shore and was taken in the fourth round with the 116th pick by the Dallas Cowboys.
Over the years there have been others. Chykie Brown was a fifth-round pick (164th by the Ravens in 2011), Cory Redding was a third-round pick (66th by the Lions in 2003), Earl Mitchell was a third-rounder (81st pick by the Texans in 2010), Andre Gurode was a second-rounder (37th by the Cowboys in 2002) and Lance Gunn was a seventh-rounder (175th by the Bengals).
Chaisson in a week is posed to become the first-ever first-rounder from North Shore.
"I don't think if we've had a kid of his stature, despite we've had some pretty good players come out of our place," Kay said.
Despite all the amazing plays, big-game moments that Chaisson has had over his career at North Shore and LSU, Kay doesn't talk about that when asked about his former player.
It's not the on-the-field heroics but rather the off-the-field preparation he praises him for.
"He possesses a good work ethic and he's extremely intelligent," Kay said. "K'Lavon isn't one of those guys who puts it on cruise control and goes out and lets it happen and relies just on his physical gifts. He works on the game. He studies the game. I think that's the best example we can use, regardless of how physically talented you are you're still going to have to bring this to the table if you're going to make it to this part of your career."