By Lisa Zimmerman, Player Engagement Insider
The youngest of 11 children, Kony Ealy learned sharing, compassion and acceptance at an early age. The Carolina Panthers defensive end is just one year younger than his sister, Sierra, who was born with disabilities. But those challenges never slowed her down and taught Ealy that everyone deserves equal attention and opportunities in life.
Ealy is very close to his sister, who communicates in sign language, something in which Ealy’s proficiency also continues to improve.
His parents, including his father, who is a veteran of the Vietnam War, instilled a strong work ethic in their children, which Ealy has embraced. He learned self-sufficiency, but also the importance of using his abilities to help others.
After being drafted by the Panthers in 2014, Ealy was introduced to the Allegro Foundation, an organization based in Charlotte, North Carolina founded in 1999 by Pat Farmer, that works as, “A Champion for Children with Disabilities.” He was immediately intrigued and felt at home with them because their mission was focused on children like his sister. In July, 2016, Ealy officially became a spokesman for the foundation, knowing that his affiliation with the NFL could help increase their profile.
“I just want to be a part of helping [the foundation] grow,” he said. “Draw people in who have a common interest. These kids deserve as much attention as other kids. It’s not their fault that they were born a certain way or had an accident. They deserve a chance.
“My future is going to be set as I go from the things I do now. I do things on a professional level and then that transitions into the Allegro foundation. Letting that build my platform and people will see that. They’ll see the things I do in my off time. I’m really active as far as giving back.”
Ealy knows that no one walks through life or achieves success alone. In addition to his family, he credits all of those who were there for him along the way in helping him realize his dream of playing in the NFL.
“The people around me got me into the NFL,” he said. “Coaches, friends, everybody had a hand in me growing into the person I am, especially my father. He was real big on certain things in life and one of them was keeping your word and keeping your promises.”
Ealy also has a positive outlook on the variety of different life experiences he has been exposed to and which he has learned from.
“I was blessed in two different scenarios,” he said. “One, my sister has a disability but she doesn’t complain. She’s terrific. The other scenario is I was blessed because I don’t have those challenges. But, I don’t actually like to look at it as a challenge. It’s a blessing that she can do what she’s doing. I just have that mentality that I want to better myself. I see myself in a certain role. She really drove me to say I want to do better so I can help her.”
Lisa Zimmerman is a long-time NFL writer and reporter. She was the Jets correspondent for CBSSports.com, SportsNet New York’s TheJetsBlog.com and Sirius NFL Radio. She has also written for NFL.com.