As the COVID-19 pandemic impacts people throughout the nation, including in his hometown of Cincinnati, former Ohio State defensive end Sam Hubbard has done his part to give back.
Hubbard, in total, has raised more than $70,000 for the Freestore Foodbank, which provides meals to families in need.
He's raised more than $25,000 in donations through a GoFundMe campaign, and Hubbard himself, the Cincinnati Bengals, his Bengals teammate Carlos Dunlap, TriHealth and an anonymous donor from Moeller High School are each matching $9,400 worth of donations.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the campaign was less than $2,500 away from its current goal, which would raise the total donation to the Foodbank to $75,200. The Foodbank is able to provide three meals for every dollar raised, which means the efforts of Hubbard and other donors will provide more than 200,000 meals to families in the Cincinnati area.
With food banks around the country facing much higher demands than usual due to the coronavirus outbreak, which has left many people unemployed or unable to work, the Freestore Foodbank gave out the same amount of food last month that it would typically provide in six months. Hubbard, after hearing that the Foodbank was struggling to keep up with the surge, decided he should lend a helping hand.
“Just growing up in Cincinnati, Freestore Foodbank’s been around forever doing great work in the city,” Hubbard told Eleven Warriors. “And with everybody losing their jobs and not being able to go to work and get paychecks, I couldn’t find a better organization to put meals straight on people’s plates. So decided to launch a donation campaign with them where people matched my first $9,400, and it took off really fast.”
Hubbard is far from the only NFL player finding ways to give back to people who have been impacted by COVID-19. Fellow Cincinnati Bengals defensive lineman Geno Atkins donated $100,000 to the Freestore Foodbank. Hubbard’s former Ohio State teammate Denzel Ward, now a cornerback for the Cleveland Browns, is covering the largest monthly expense for 21 people who have been impacted by the pandemic.
In a time where the nation is facing adversity and many lives have been uprooted, Hubbard believes people are inspiring each other to find their own ways to help their communities.
“I think it’s just everyone doing their part,” Hubbard said. “There’s so many good people out there and so many people looking to help that just seeing people on their own taking initiative, piggybacking off each other and working together has been amazing to see.”
In addition to his own campaign to raise money for the Freestore Foodbank, Hubbard has also partnered with PepsiCo to raise awareness for their campaign to donate to No Kid Hungry, which helps feed children in need – an issue that’s also been exacerbated nationwide by the closing of schools due to COVID-19.
Team up with me and @PepsiCo to deliver meals to children in need by donating to https://t.co/yF0KVG9zUK before April 30th. #GiveMealsGiveHope pic.twitter.com/MPP4LVT3CW
— Sam Hubbard (@Sam_Hubbard_) April 21, 2020
As for Hubbard himself, he says his training for the 2020 season “hasn’t changed at all,” since he has a weight room to lift in and fields to run on. While the Bengals aren’t able to hold in-person workouts right now, they will be starting their virtual offseason program next week, and Hubbard is watching film and doing drills on his own to get prepared for his third season in the NFL.
“It’s definitely different and a challenge, but being in isolation, you get to really focus on everything you want to focus on football-wise,” Hubbard said.
This offseason, the Bengals have already added one of Hubbard’s former Ohio State teammates, Vonn Bell, who they signed in free agency last month. On Thursday night, they’re expected to add another by drafting Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.
Hubbard said he was “pretty surprised but really happy” when the Bengals signed Bell, who he expects to be an impact player in Cincinnati.
“He’s an incredible player,” Hubbard said of Bell. “I had two years with him at Ohio State, and what he was doing in New Orleans, elevated his play, played so physical and was a great leader, and I think he’s gonna be a huge addition to us.”
Hubbard said the prospect of being reunited with Burrow, who has already been informed he’ll be the No. 1 overall pick according to FOX19’s Jeremy Rauch, is “very exciting.”
“I’ve known Joe for a long time, as a person and a player, and he would be a great addition to us,” Hubbard said of Burrow, who played with Hubbard at Ohio State from 2015 to 2017 before transferring to LSU. “I’m really excited to see what happens, and I know that we’re gonna get some guys that really help us.”
Hubbard is just one of many former Ohio State defensive ends who have gone on to achieve success in the NFL in recent years, and on Thursday, Chase Young will become the next Ohio State defensive end in the league, as he’s expected to come off the board just after Burrow as the No. 2 overall pick. Hubbard, who played with Young for one season at Ohio State, is proud to see yet another Buckeye at his position becoming an early-round NFL draft pick.
“He had an unprecedented season, and all the stuff that he’s accomplished has been amazing,” Hubbard said of Young, who broke Ohio State’s single-season sack record in 2019. “I’m really happy for him to put himself in a position to be a top-three pick. And I think the sky’s the limit for him. He’s gonna do a lot of great things.”
Ohio State has up to 16 players who could either be drafted or sign as undrafted free agents this week, and Hubbard – like his large contingent of Buckeye counterparts in the NFL – is excited to see that contingent grow even larger.
“It’s fun,” Hubbard said. “You got a lot of friends that are having success in the league, and a lot of people you can talk to, bounce ideas off of, talk pass-rush with former teammates. I still talk to (defensive line coach Larry) Johnson about tips and pointers, and it’s just an environment that everyone wants to be great, and having so much success around you really motivates you to do even better.”
