Teams at Grant High School in Portland, where Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh graduated in 2005, played all their games on the road because the home facilities were so run down they were declared unsafe. But that won’t be the case anymore after Suh chipped in $250,000 to build the school a new field.
“This is an opportunity for me to help our sports programs compete at a true home field,” Suh told the Portland Tribune. “It’s something we have all wanted for a very long time.”
Construction of a new artificial turf field and a new track surrounding it will begin soon and is expected to be finished before the football season starts. Nike also contributed $350,000, and Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish called the donations “an example of how we all benefit when private and public partners come together around a shared goal.”
“Two powerhouses helped close the final gap in funding this project, Nike and Ndamukong Suh,” Fish said. “Ndamukong began his path to the NFL on this field and now he has helped ensure that other Grant athletes have the one of the best facilities in our city.”
Suh has given away millions of dollars during his three-year NFL career. In 2011 the Giving Back Fund recognized Suh as the most charitable athlete in America for his $2.6 million donation to the University of Nebraska, and his Ndamukong Suh Family Foundation has provided Detroit students with school supplies and college scholarships.