By now, you’ve seen Antoine Winfield Jr.’s infamous peace sign he gave to Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill during Super Bowl LV. It was a gesture in the heat of the moment, as Winfield came up with a crucial pass break and wanted to playfully remind Hill of his actions the last time the two teams met in Week 12. Hill had, after backfliping the end zone in in front of Winfield, giving him a peace sign, which turned out to be one of Hill’s landmark celebrations.
The referee threw a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct at the time and the NFL subsequently fined Winfield $ 7,815 for the gesture. Such fines are not uncommon in the NFL due to the competitive nature of their players, but Winfield Jr. decided that he would also match the amount to donate to charities to compensate even more. It was his way of reversing the situation.
“Once it got a lot of media attention, it was there and I just wanted to spin it in a way that made it positive,” said Winfield. “And what better way than to give back to the Youth Leadership program that I did all year? That’s how it happened, because I was thinking about different things I could do. I spent the whole year with the kids and talking to them and everything, so I feel like it was a good opportunity to go with these guys. “
He is referring to the Buccaneers Youth Leadership Program, a pioneering commitment to support Tampa students, launched as part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Social Justice Initiative. A joint effort between Bucs players and staff, the program features players and 25 team members serving as mentors to 25 students at Young Middle School, a Title 1 school in East Tampa. Winfield has had the same three students in his group in six virtual meetings in total so far. This gave him the opportunity to get to know each child and create a lasting impact on them as the program continues throughout the school year.
“Being able to talk to the kids and learn more about what happens in their lives and their outlook on life was a cool experience because you really get more out of it by learning from them than from us,” said Winfield. “It’s been great to just build these relationships with these kids and see where they’re coming from and just guide them in the best possible way and give them advice on just about anything. It’s always good to do that in the community and with the kids. They are the next generation, so I thought it was amazing to be able to talk to these kids and give them advice and guide them in the right direction. “