RICHMOND, Va. — The Washington Football Team took the practice field here at the Bon Secours Training Center in Richmond on Wednesday for their first official training camp practice. But they weren't the first ones on the field this morning.
Just after sunrise, about 50 local military members showed up to give training camp their best shot in USAA’s Salute to Service NFL boot camp.
"They should absolutely know that we do truly appreciate them and I'm glad we were able to do something for them like this," said Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera.
After a hiatus in 2020 due to COVID-19, the boot camp made its return. Local military-trained like Washington Football Team players for a day, competing in drills similar to those used by NFL coaches to evaluate NFL talent: the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, three-cone shuttle, receiving gauntlet and the quarterback arm challenge.
"It was fun. We beat the Marines and the Air Force so I'm not even tripping," said Southeast Washington D.C. native, Mikah Riddick. Riddick is in the U.S. Navy and loved the friendly competition with other branches of the military.
Military member Marquis Jones, who serves in the U.S. Army, is a native of Northwest D.C., admitted he gained a lot of respect for these NFL athletes after going through this boot camp.
"I feel like overall I did what I thought I would do, but definitely not good enough to play in the NFL," joked Jones.
This friendly, but competitive competition, was a way for Washington to say thank you to its local military. Many of the military personnel we spoke with are Washington Football Team fans and say being on this field is a dream come true.
"It's good vibes and good people. I met a lot of different people and it's been really cool," said Angelina Watson. Watson, a U.S. Marine, boasted she didn't even break a sweat and enjoyed the NFL drills.
"You know not many people get a chance to get in this kind of proximity with NFL football players, so it's a really nice thing to do," said Keith Long, the Military Affairs Representative at USAA.
Washington Football Team Training Camp in Richmond goes through July 31.
To learn more about the Washington Football Team Training Camp, click here.
Listen to the Locked On Washington Football Team Podcast with Chris Russell and David Harrison to learn more on the team during training camp this week.