Felix Jones To Host Football Academy In Tulsa

Newson6.com

TULSA, Oklahoma – Dallas Cowboys running back and former Booker T. Washington star Felix Jones is returning to Green Country this weekend to host a football academy.

The event is part of MVP Charity Weekend, which raises money for Tulsa's inner-city youth. The  "Running Back to Make A Difference" camp will take place June 25 at the University of Tulsa and is free for ages 14-18.

"We have helped hundreds of Tulsa's inner-city youth get closer to their goals through this charity weekend's events and donations," said Damario Solomon-Simmons, who co-founded MVP Weekend with his wife, Mia Fleming. "We use the Weekend to inform, inspire and empower our youth to maximize all their opportunities - on and off the field - to be successful, productive and well-rounded citizens."

According to the MVP Weekend website, Jones' camp is "focused on emphasizing the importance of academics and mental preparation in life to inner-city high school student athletes," and has two main objectives:

(1) to assist inner city student-athletes in the fulfillment of their athletic goals

(2) to stress the importance of being more than an athlete, by focusing the student-athlete's attention on the academic and life skills needed to transition from high school to college and to the "pros"

Those interested in the camp can go to the MVP Weekend website to register.

In addition to the football academy, the charity weekend also features a golf tournament and Blue Tie Fundraising Gala. Other stars scheduled to attend the weekend's events include: Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Whitten, former OU Sooner and current Tampa Bay Buccaneer Gerald McCoy, Robert Meacham of the New Orleans Saints, Christ Chamberlain of the St. Louis Rams as well as former Sooner Phil Loadholt who now plays for the Minnesota Vikings.

MVP Weekend was founded in 2009 to raise money and awareness for Tulsa inner-city youth programs and since has been hosted by Jones each year. Since its introduction, the weekend has raised more than $75,000 for the youth programs and served more than 300 inner-city student-athletes.