Najee Harris already looks like a star on the field for the Steelers. Now he’s taking his talents off the field against another opponent.
Homelessness.
The former Alabama running back, selected by the Steelers with the 24th pick in this year’s draft, joined California governor Gavin Newsome to tackle an issue that’s personal to Harris.
“If I’m impacting the youth and impacting the people who’ve been through my situation, they try to better themselves,” said Harris. “That’s really all that matters.”
Harris and his family were homeless in California at one time, and it’s an experience he’s never forgotten.
“Me and my family were once homeless moving around the Bay Area—San Francisco, Richmond, Pinole, Hercules, Sacramento, I mean the list goes on and on,” said Harris. “But we were evicted numerous times and had to stay in homeless shelters, friend’s houses, cars but as family we stuck together and made it through these tough times. Now I am in a position to help people who were once in my shoes.”
Despite living out of a van for a time, he never stopped pursuing his goal. He was a star for the Tide, rushing for 3,843 yards and 46 touchdowns in his four seasons with the team. Yet regardless of his stardom, he never forgot where he came from. On draft night, he held a party at a Bay Area homeless shelter where he stayed as a child.
He’s also launched his own foundation, Da Bigger Picture, a non-profit dedicated to helping out the hungry, homeless, and other community-focused initiatives.
“California is our people, we are gods people, at the end of the day, god isn’t going to care about what I have done and the football world, the championships, or not care about the amount of bills we have passed,” said Harris. “What he is going to care about is what have you done to help the people.”
