When someone is called to help, it can come at anytime and in any form. For former Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell, who now plays for the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, that time came a few weeks back when he was talking with his best friend from his hometown of Richmond, Va.

Ferrell’s friend described how tough things have been for him and his family due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The conversation got Ferrell thinking. He is in a position where he can help, so that is what he decided to do.

“It kind of got accelerated because I was talking to my best friend, who I grew up with, and hearing from him, how it is a struggle for him,” Ferrell said on ESPN’s First Take earlier this week. “It kind of shut down his job. He has a daughter and it is hard … I just got in touch with the mayor and tried to figure out what is the most immediate way I could help.”

The conversation with the Mayor of Richmond, Levar Stoney, led the former Tiger to donate $100,000 to the Eviction Diversion Program in Richmond to help families struggling to make ends meet.

According to evictionlab.org, Richmond had an 11.44 percent eviction rate in 2016, which ranked second in the country. As the COVID-19 crisis continues to keep millions of Americans out of work, these numbers are only going to get higher in places like Richmond.

“In my hometown, we have had one of the highest eviction rates in the country the last few years. I felt like that was an immediate way that I could help,” Ferrell said. “I was just trying to put some money back into it because people get evicted for like $200 to $300 which is crazy to me. So, if there was any way I could help, which is why I donated $50,000 to two separate organizations.”

Ferrell’s goal is to continue to educate anyone he can about what has been going on in his hometown and he is going to do whatever he can to help improve those numbers.

“I just tried to mask some of that [better] because it is just going to get worse because people can’t work,” the two-time All-American said. “This was my biggest thing. I’m just trying to give back to the people who made me who I am.”

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