Ihedigbo wants to help tornado victims
James Ihedigbo can't bear to sit back and do nothing, watching those in need struggle to cope and slowly begin the process of rebuilding their lives.
Tornadoes ripped through central and western Massachusetts earlier this month, leaving extensive damage, taking the lives of at least four people and injuring several others. So the reserve safety, who played the last three seasons with the Jets, believes he has to take action, making sure he helps out those in need in an area of Massachusetts that he knows well.
Just seeing the damage caused by the two tornadoes and how they shattered people's lives struck an emotional chord within Ihedigbo, who was raised in Amherst, Mass., and frequented Springfield, Mass., when his mother moved there after his sophomore season at UMass.
"It's a place that I've been to and I've spent a lot of time there," Ihedigbo told Newsday this week. "I grew up around that area. So it's tough to watch those people suffer and not being able to help in some way. I figured I have the platform that I do have, so I'm going to try to fold some resources and get the word out, and see if people can really, really be a part of this."
Ihedigbo, whose parents moved to the United States from Nigeria 33 years ago, is seeking contributions through the website for his Hope Africa Foundation, hopeafricausa.org. He plans to present a check, perhaps even as early as the end of next week, to the relief efforts.
"A lot of people are in poverty there," he said. "Some may have had an apartment and they lost everything they had."
Ihedigbo, who also went on a relief trip to Haiti and took an excursion to Nigeria in March with his foundation, isn't looking for any pats on the back. He simply wants to do what he believes is the right thing in his heart.
"Really, it's not even about feeling better about myself," he said. "But it's the fact that these people are really in need, you know? So I'm really trying to step up to the plate and help them out."
Ihedigbo, 27, is technically a restricted free agent under terms of the NFL's current collective bargaining agreement. He was given the right of first refusal by the Jets -- the lowest possible tender designation -- and would like to return to the team, though he admitted there are a few other teams that have him on their radar.
"I love playing for Rex [Ryan]. I love my teammates," said Ihedigbo, who posted career highs with 22 tackles and three sacks last season. "I love everything that we have going here in New York and I would love to play for the Jets. At the same time, I have made a name for myself in this league and I'd be wrong to say that there weren't other teams interested in me.
"So it's really just what works out best. I want to be a part of the team, and I want to come back and play for the Jets. There's no question about that."
