WEST LONG BRANCH – It’s the capstone project each senior at Capital Prep Magnet School in Hartford, Connecticut must complete. Kadeem McKnight’s was titled Lack of Resources for African American Parents with Disabled Children.
“The typical senior project (involved) some kind of social justice, how to help or solve a problem. Mine happened to be very personal because it was happening right at home,” said McKnight, now a senior defensive back at Monmouth University.
When it comes to the rigors of life as a student-athlete playing college football, McKnight’s outlook is framed from the perspective of the youngest of four kids in a single-parent home, watching his mom, Pamela, struggle to both provide for the family and take care of his oldest sister, Tatiana, who has non-verbal autism and is deaf.
Now McKnight is on track to become the first person in his immediate family to graduate from college, with a goal of lifting his family up, both now and for future generations, and helping others, having worked with groups advocating for families with disabled children.
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“Helping people is one of the main things for me, because growing up we didn’t have it easy,” he said. “My mom did a lot for us that wouldn’t have been possible without her, and other times we couldn’t do a lot of stuff because of our situation. So when I was growing up I already kind of had that fire just to make life better for my mom and my sister because I wanted to change our situation in the worst way.”
Why Monmouth football's secondary coach says Kadeem McKnight 'showed me he was a special kid'
On the field, McKnight is part of the mix in a revamped secondary, looking to help the Hawks rise in the Coastal Athletic Association standings this fall.
“From Day 1, Kadeem showed me he was a special kid,” Monmouth defensive backs coach Bishop Neal said. “From learning the backstory and everything that he went through and where he’s from – it’s a tough area – I kind of gravitated to him because I have a similar background. So we talk on a much deeper level because I can understand a lot of the stuff he went through.
“It's tough to achieve things when you don’t have an example right in your face. It’s very hard. It’s easy to get caught up in distractions and things. But he knows what he wants.”
As the oppressive heat and humidity hung in Kessler Stadium Tuesday, McKnight took a moment to assess the early days of practice, with the Aug. 29 opener at Eastern Washington looming.
“I see a lot of young guys all working extremely hard right now,” he said.
McKnight has seen first-hand what hard work looks like.
“My mom used to be a bus driver for 20-something years, and when we were younger she would bring us on the bus with her,” he said. “That was an incredibly challenging time for my mom because she was also having to deal with my sister, which was difficult. She has episodes, she has behavioral issues where she will get upset storm out and potentially hurt herself. So to see that growing up, it was tough.
“Now my mom is a certified nursing assistant and works with people with disabilities.”
How Monmouth DB Kadeem McKnight is making a difference off the field
McKnight has taken it upon himself to make a difference, both at home and elsewhere, beginning in high school when he had an internship with Harc, a Connecticut nonprofit that provides support to individuals with intellectual and related disabilities and their families.
“With Harc, that was actually at my sister’s day program,” he said. “And being there, although I wasn’t directly with my sister, I was able to interact with a group of people and their daily routines. I was already able to interact well with my sister. But once I got that experience it was on a completely different level. I understood more of how I need to translate that into my real life dealing with my sister, and communicating with her better, how to read her cues, her body language.”
He has since worked with another group that aids parents raising children with disabilities, AFCAMP (African Caribbean American Parents of Children with Disabilities).
“What AFCAMP does is pretty much what I was looking to do with my research project," McKnight said, "which was make people aware of resources, provide resources and advocate for those with disabilities who didn’t have somebody to advocate for them. Or advocate for someone like my mom."
'You root for him to be successful'
For his first three seasons at Monmouth, McKnight watched and learned from an experienced collection of defensive backs, including cornerback Eddie Morales, who starred at Howell High School, and experienced safeties Tyrese Wright and Thomas Joe-Kamara.
Now he’s part of the next group ready to move up the depth chart, at a time when defensive improvement is a critical piece of the program’s development.
“Last year my group was the younger guys and now we’re seniors, so we get to see how we have developed, how we make the transition,” McKnight said. “We have a lot of young guys, all working extremely hard. I have seen guys really step up on defense and younger guys step in as leaders.”
Regardless of McKnight’s role – he played in 17 games over the last two seasons on defense and special teams – his impact on the program will be lasting.
“He has had a tough life but has worked really hard to get to where he is,” Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan said.
“He really is a great kid to have on the team. You root for him to be successful. You want him to get the most out of it. He’s a senior now, and there is no question he is going to be successful beyond college, regardless of what he does as a football player.”
Stephen Edelson is a USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey sports columnist who has been covering athletics in the state and at the Jersey Shore for over 35 years. Contact him at: @SteveEdelsonAPP; sedelson@gannettnj. com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Monmouth football player making a difference off field: 'You root for him to be successful'
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