Former Card, NFL player pays it back to Louisville

Jamon Brown might play guard for the New York Giants now, but he is Louisville through and through. 

Brown, 25, played for Fern Creek High School and stayed home to play for the Cardinals, where he was a starter for the 2014 and 15 seasons. The St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams chose him as the 72nd pick in the 2015 NFL draft, and last year he transferred to the Giants. He has been the starter in 38 out of 50 of his NFL games so far.

Last week he returned to his hometown, attending a men's basketball game where he had the opportunity to meet President Neeli Bendapudi, and talking to kids at Louisville's West End School about bullying. 

The Courier Journal featured Brown's middle school visit in which he admitted that – although 6-foot-4-inches tall and 340 pounds now – he endured bullying himself when he was a kid. 

Brown has established the Jamon Brown Foundation to help those in need in Louisville. Last year, the organization funded a 13-and-under West Louisville all-star baseball team's trip to the Babe Ruth World Series, the CJ reports. It has also helped feed families for Thanksgiving and facilitated a toy drive for Christmas. 

Brown also hosts a free youth football camp with financial support from a golf fundraiser. His goal is to add more events, with a mission of "impacting the lives of those people who are struggling with violence, poverty and youth and young-adult homelessness." 

"We have that ability to help anyone of any color, of any age, of any gender," he told the publication. 

"I take pride in being from Louisville, man. … So I kind of wanted to be a picture of, ‘Hey, when you make it out, take pride in the city that you’re from and be able to be a part of its growth and helping it move ahead.’”