HAMPTON, Va. (WTKR) — In the blink of an eye, Tyrod Taylor has become the wise veteran in NFL locker rooms.
"Year 13. When you say that, it goes by fast," the New York Giants quarterback said. "But I'm excited."
Before he returns to the Giants facility to prepare for another training camp, Taylor took a few days to continue what has been a theme of this offseason. The Hampton native giving back to his hometown by hosting his third annual Tyrod Taylor Community Weekend.
"To have everyone outside enjoying themselves, enjoying the community," he said. "Just fellowship and being around one another, it means the world."
The former Crabber star holding the event, which featured a basketball tournament and numerous local food vendors, at the Tyrod Taylor Wellness Center. The facility opened in March, partnering with the Boys and Girls Club of the Virginia Peninsula with the goal to give kids growing up in the area the chance to grow and mature, especially when it comes to mental health.
"Think about what kids have to deal with now that we didn't when we were younger," said Boys and Girls Club president and CEO Hal Smith. "Have a clear head and deal with the mental stress. Having a place to unwind, that's what this place is all about."
"They don't get taught those kinds of things at an earlier age," Taylor said. "We can offer and shed a different light on a different topic."
The signal caller hosting a yoga session on Friday, something he also did to help open the Wellness Center in March.
On Saturday, the former Virginia Tech star watch from the sidelines as a few local basketball players competed in the "Blacktop Showdown" and signed autographs from some of the younger fans who were awestruck.
"As long as they're having fun and enjoying themselves, that's what warms my heart," Taylor said.
He'll begin his second season with the NY Giants at the end of the month, something he's excited for after bouncing between Buffalo, Cleveland, Los Angeles, and Houston in the span of five years before going to the Big Apple.
For his career, Taylor has passed for 10,794 yards, 60 touchdowns, and 26 interceptions.
"With the success we were able to have last year, this is an opportunity for us to build on it," he said. "I think we shocked a lot of people last year but it's always harder to do it two times in a row. We have to go out there and compete at a very high level."
As he heads into another building to an NFL season, he's reminded that his home neighborhood and hometown still looks up to him and can still feel his impact after all the years away.
"We're not curing everything but we're trying to attack it one step at a time," Taylor said.
