Texans’ players, DeMeco Ryans, Nick Caserio, McNair family participate in My Cause, My Cleats ‘I like to shine light’

HOUSTON – Brevin Jordan held up the cleats that he’ll proudly wear Sunday, a bright blue and pink design that spotlights breast cancer awareness, a deeply personal cause for the Texans tight end and his family.

The cleats have two dates stitched in with special meaning for Jordan and his mother, Beverly.

She was diagnosed with cancer on Oct. 2004 and doctors told her life was growing short. Three years later, Oct. 2007, Beverly Jordan had conquered cancer.

Jordan, one of the more than 35 players and over 150 staff members participating in the NFL’s annual My Cause, My Cleats platform, is thrilled to share the message of his mother’s courage Sunday when the Texans host the Denver Broncos.

“These are awesome, man,” Jordan said. “She survived, and it’s really just a testament to my mom and the foundation she’s raised us with. I can’t wait to represent her on Sunday.”

Earlier this season, Jordan shared his story with a group of cancer survivors during a Crucial Catch Celebration brunch at NRG Stadium.

Jordan, one of three siblings raised by their single parent mother was four years old when she was dix6agnosed with breast cancer and informed she had a best-case scenario of living three more years and a worst-case scenario of another year of life.

“That was the first time I’ve explained my mom’s story,” Jordan said. “It was quite emotional for me to be in that situation. I put myself in a very vulnerable situation. It’s a story that’s tough to talk about, but it’s a story that needs to be heard. I love that I got the opportunity to talk about it..

“They pretty much told her, ‘You have no chance of survival, three years was the max you have to live.’ My mom could have easily put her down, could have easily gave up, but she looked at her doctors and said, ‘I’m not going to die.”

And Beverly Jordan, called the rock of the family, a fighter and a hero, was right. She remains cancer free to this day.

“She fought every day,” Jordan said. “She went completely vegan, a lot of raw veggies. She drank only water. She was frustrated with God. She didn’t understand what was going on. She was going off on God, saying ‘I don’t understand. My sons won’t be able to remember me. She felt devastated in that moment.

“She felt a light. She can’t really explain it. Over that next year, at every appointment, the doctor noticed less cancer spots. Eventually, it was gone completely. She worked extremely hard. Unbelievable.”

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans chose leukemia awareness and the American Cancer Society as his personal cause.

Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair is spotlighting USO Houston. His wife, Texans foundation vice president Hannah McNair, chose the Houston Area Women’s Center again.

General manager Nick Caserio chose the Armenia Fund: Who We Area, and team president Greg Grissom is showcasing Suits for Success Houston.

Texans defensive tackle Khalil Davis and his twin brother, Carlos Davis, were adopted. He is focused on raising awareness about foster care and advocating for children.

“This is how I grew up and what I wanted to represent,” Davis said. “I was an adopted child. I like to shine light. It’s very special to me. Never give up hope. If you’re in foster care, there’s a lot of special people in foster care if you don’t find a home.

“I had a foster mom in the adoption process who I still talked to and, unfortunately, she passed away a year ago. If you haven’t found your home yet, there are special people in foster care that can take care of you. Just never give up hope.”

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, regarded as a lock for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, opened up after a recent game at NRG Stadium how he feels about prison reform. The 22-year-old opened up about his feelings as he talked about the importance of family.

Stroud wants to use his platform to raise awareness about prison reform. He would love nothing more than for his father to be free to be with him and his family and watch him throw passes at a Texans game. Stroud is concerned about how prisoners are treated and wants to be an agent of change for the prison system. He emphasized seeing squalid conditions in Mississippi prisons.

“I got to talk to my dad a little bit this week, and I’m praying to God that something can happen that he can get out and come to one of these games,” Stroud said. “I’ve been praying for him a lot. I didn’t want to make this public, but our criminal justice system isn’t right, and it’s something that I need to probably be a little more vocal about, because what he’s going through is not right. He called me this week, and we got to talk, and I’m praying for the situation and a reform, and the people with reform are helping me a little bit.

“But I think just letting it be known that it’s not just my dad’s situation, but the whole criminal justice system is corrupt. I’ve been watching videos. In Mississippi, some of the prisons there have rats, roaches and things like that. Don’t get me wrong, criminals, they should do their time, but they’re still humans, know what I mean? I just want to shine a light on that.”

And Stroud is taking action through his words and deeds to try to bring attention to his father and the conditions of prisoners in general.

In February while preparing for the NFL draft before being selected second overall by the Texans in April, Stroud attended an event through REFORM Alliance, which was founded by Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin and rapper Meek Mill to be a watchdog about the criminal justice system. The organization is devoted to transforming probation and parole by attempting to change laws, systems and culture to create pathways to work and wellbeing, according to its mission statement.

The dinner Stroud attended included Rubin, Kim Kardashian and his friend, Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young.

The organization was started from the online movement that helped free Mill from imprisonment.

“Don’t get me wrong, you make a mistake and it’s criminal, whatever the case may be, you should do whatever you have to do to pay it back to whatever that means, you know what I mean?” Stroud said. “Whatever crime you commit, you have to reap the consequences for that. At the same time, these are still people. We do this. We send money out to other countries and stuff like that, and Lord knows what they’re doing over there with the money.

“I’m not super political and everything. I respect all walks of life. I have love for everybody and that’s what the Lord asked us to do. So, for me, I’ll just try to do my best to shine light on things that not only personally affect me but affect people that I can see with my own two eyes. I can feel that.”

Rubin and Stroud have formed a strong relationship that included the quarterback attending the businessman’s celebrity megastar Hamptons party this summer.

Because of Stroud’s willingness to discuss his father and be so open and vulnerable publicly, he has received a lot of positive commentary.

“I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from it, a lot of people saying that they’re proud of me for just being so vulnerable with something that’s personally in my life,” Stroud said. “For me, I honestly just wanted to shine a light, not only on my dad’s situation, on the situation of just really publicly of what’s going on in our criminal justice system. I’ve even learned more through working with reform and their nonprofit and things like that. I’ve gotten to have a couple of dinners and meetings with those guys.

“I got to talk to Michael Rubin, who’s a really good friend of mine, and a leader in our culture as well and in the world. He was really proud of me for even saying something. I told him, ‘Man, it’s easy to be vocal about stuff when you have other guys doing the same thing.’ So, it’s not just me out here trying to push the envelope. For me, I know I always wanted to shine light on that. My dad actually asked me not to. He always just wanted me to focus on ball. For me, I honestly did it just to shine light on it, not just for his situation, but for the whole thing.”

Texans defensive tackle Maliek Collins’ niece has autism, and his cause is centered on raising awareness about an issue that impacts several children.

“How hard that can be as a parent, and different struggles I see my sister go through as a parent,” Collins said of his motivation. “It’s something to make them feel special. SISTER: ‘She don’t know hopefully this is the first time seeing it.. This just shows we’re more than athletes, We can make an impact, however you want to impact a community. However you want to impact an individual, something that you want to keep in memory. It’s just something I take advantage of every year.”

Texans hard-hitting linebacker and special teams standout Neville Hewitt’s mother was incarcerated when he was growing up. His cause is the Freedom Child Foundation whose mission is helping children in similar situations that Hewitt dealt with as a child.

Hewitt earned a scholarship to Marshall University after enrolling at Georgia Military for a post-graduate year after high school to boost his academic standing. The military school was a close drive to where his mother was in prison, so he was able to visit her. A former Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year who has also played for the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins, Hewitt has forged a career in the NFL.

“It means a lot,” Hewitt said. “I know how it is to be a child without, that doesn’t have the funds and resources, especially during this time of the year, the holidays. It gives kids like myself hope. If I could do it, they could do it as well.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.