‘I got some swings in’: Texans’ C.J. Stroud wins MVP of Travis Scott’s HBCU Celebrity Softball Classic

HOUSTON – C.J. Stroud is much more than an accurate quarterback with a powerful arm and mind for the game of football.

Stroud is a versatile athlete.

The Texans’ Pro Bowl selection and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year put on a show at musician Travis Scott’s annual Cactus Jack Foundation’s HBCU Celebrity Softball Classic, crushing home runs at Minute Maid Park.

He was named the Most Valuable Player of the charity event, that included Texans wide receiver Tank Dell; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs; Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, Astros players Alex Bregman, Jeremy Pena and Kyle Tucker; along with former Cleveland Browns and Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, and rappers Bun B, Neyo and Slim Thug.

PHOTOS: Celebs, athletes who attended Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack Foundation celebrity softball game at Minute Maid Park

“It’s for a good cause, I appreciate Trav having me out,” Stroud said. “It’s been a cool couple of hours. I played when I was growing up. I got some swings in. Just having fun, nothing too serious.”

Next up for Stroud: Playing in the NBA celebrity all-star basketball game Friday night in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium. Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons and Stroud had some good-natured trash talk in Parsons’ podcast recently about the basketball game. Stroud has an outstanding jump shot and was a high school basketball star growing up in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

“I’m not going to be doing too much, because Micah is going to try to kill me so I’m going to try to get my rhythm going, get my jump shot going a little bit, just have some fun,” Stroud said. “Nothing serious.”

Stroud said during his epic rookie season, where he led the Texans to the AFC South division title and matched Tom Brady and Joe Montana as the only quarterbacks in league history to lead the NFL in passing yards per game and touchdowns to interceptions ratio, that he would have loved to be a baseball player.

Why? The way Major League Baseball contracts are guaranteed, unlike most NFL contracts.

Drafted second overall last year out of Ohio State, the two-time Heisman Trophy finalist has a fully guaranteed $36.279 million contract that includes a $23.384 million signing bonus.

“Just because of the guaranteed money that they make,” Stroud said of baseball players. “They make a lot of money. The contracts are fully guaranteed. I didn’t mean it like I want to be them, just like the money that they make.”

Stroud was a standout, looking like a natural baseball player. He hit a double and a home run during the game.

“Always really positive with C.J.,” said Manziel, who played catch with the Texans quarterback before the game started. “He’s a great dude. Obviously, an unbelievable player right now and we’ve had a good relationship for a long time since he was even in college. I always try to give him the best advice I can and be a friend for him. I know what it was like being in that position. It’s always good to be around him. He’s a great human.”

Dell was a coach along with Bregman for the game. The former University of Houston player is making a sound recovery from a broken fibula and previously told KPRC 2 he plans to be ready for organized team activities.

“I’m just out here for the vibes,” Dell said. “I’m just having fun. It’s amazing. I didn’t picture myself in this position long ago. I’m around some amazing guys.”

Bregman is a fan of Dell. He even wore a Dell T-shirt early in the season and predicted the fast success the third-round draft pick engineered for the resurgent Texans.

“I told him I appreciate him for the support he was giving me at the beginning of the year,” Dell said. “And it’s just a blessing to be in the same room with him.”

Bregman is a big Texans fan, especially after they won their first playoff game since the 2019 season and turned around the franchise with coach DeMeco Ryans leading them to an 11-8 record after going a combined 11-38-1 during the previous three seasons.

“It was a great year,” Bregman said. “It was awesome to see how they got this whole city fired up. I’m super excited for the future. I know in talking with C.J. they’re not satisfied. They want to be even better next year, so looking forward to it.”

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who made an inspirational comeback from a life-threatening injury to return to play football again, was among the participants in the game.

“It means everything,” Hamlin said. “Football is my first love, even before I started liking girls. Football was my first love. To be blessed with the opportunity to be back on the field, it’s my whole world. It means everything.”

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