Last year, Richard Sherman told high school student Hershai James that if she improved her grades enough to land on the honor roll, he would fund her college education. She did exactly that, and now Sherman is making good on his promise.
Richard Sherman makes good on promise to fund student’s college education
Sherman told Hershai James that if she landed on the honor roll, he would pay for her college.
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Jeanna Kelley has been covering the Falcons for The Falcoholic since 2011 and the NFL for SB Nation since 2015.
Sherman met James last year at an event supporting his former teammate Michael Robinson’s charity, Excel to Excellence. James’ goal was to improve her grades, and Sherman gave her plenty of motivation by volunteering to fund her college education.
“When my senior year began, I definitely had the scholarship in my head as motivation,” James said, via Richmond.com’s Wes McElroy. “With being a senior, the year is really stressful. Having something to look forward to helped. It’s like saying my hard work and dedication had paid off.”
When James landed on the honor roll, the executive director of Excel to Excellence, Jonathan Mayo, reached out to Sherman. Sherman remembered the commitment he had made to James and honored his promise.
“It goes back to knowledge is power, and if you have knowledge you’re going to be as powerful as you ever want to be,” Sherman said. “Nobody stops anybody from reading and educating themselves.”
Education is also the focus of Sherman’s charity, the Blanket Coverage Foundation. Through his foundation, Sherman provides children in low-income areas with school supplies and clothes.
James plans to attend Norfolk State University, and she will study business.
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