The San Francisco 49ers have had a bit of a bumpy offseason, and naturally media has focused in on some of the missteps. However, the 49ers have a lot of good guys on the team that deserve recognition for all the good that they do.
One such player is wide receiver Anquan Boldin. Over the course of his career, Boldin has done a ton of great work through his Q81 Foundation, as well as separate from that. Last offseason, Boldin spent time in Africa, and also lobbying in Congress for African communities. He works with OxFam to try and end poverty, hunger and injustice around the world. He initially has focused on issues of drought in Ethiopia.
In the US, Boldin has his Q81 Foundation, which helps provide "educational and life opportunities" to underprivileged kids. The Foundation raises money for scholarships, a summer enrichment program, a dental program, youth football camps, and an assortment of seasonal services. The video above features Boldin presenting scholarships of $10,000 to a recent high school graduate. As I understand it, the money can be used for food, room and books, but not tuition.
Through his first year with the 49ers, Anquan Boldin has been just about the perfect kind of player/person. He does so many great things off the field, and he still brings it week in and week out on the field. We saw this last year just how important he can be. Without Michael Crabtree, Boldin showed he can be a go-to guy, even if he's not the deep threat, do everything receiver. He gets open, he makes plays, it's as simple as that. And he brings a confidence and swagger to the team. A lot of players play with confidence and have swagger, but there's a little something extra with Q.
If he was a smaller, less accomplished player who talked the way he does after plays, I think people might talk smack about him, particularly among opposing fans. But people respect him, and realize he backs it up every play. More importantly, he instills a certain fear because of his ferociousness. I think it dates back to when he busted up his jaw and nose, and was back playing after missing two games. He's kind of tough, and that's what we love about him!