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Troy University Cornerback ‘Reddy’ To Hear His Name Called On Draft Day

NNPA NEWSWIRE — From April 25th-27th, many collegiate football athletes will see their dreams of having their names called at the 2024 NFL Draft. The hard work and dedication comes full circle during a 3-day cycle that will be held in Detroit, Michigan. One prospect, Troy University cornerback, Reddy Steward has checked all the boxes in hopes to hear his name called during this 3-day period. His All-Sun Belt first team selection earned him a spot to play in front of NFL coaches and scouts at the Hula Bowl. Steward enters the draft with the second highest career grade amongst eligible cornerbacks entering the draft.
The post Troy University Cornerback ‘Reddy’ To Hear His Name Called On Draft Day first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 years ago

April 24, 2024

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By Percy Crawford

After a phenomenal “Pro Day,” Reddy Steward anticipates getting his shot at the next level.

From April 25th to 27th, many collegiate football athletes will see their dreams of having their names called at the 2024 NFL Draft. The hard work and dedication come full circle during a 3-day cycle that will be held in Detroit, Michigan. One prospect, Troy University cornerback Reddy Steward, has checked all the boxes hoping to hear his name called during this 3-day period. His All-Sun Belt first-team selection earned him a spot to play in front of NFL coaches and scouts at the Hula Bowl. Steward enters the draft with the second-highest career grade amongst eligible cornerbacks entering the draft.

During a recent conversation, Steward discussed his strong faith, his preparation, and fulfilling his dream of playing in the NFL.

You had a very productive “Pro Day.” How did you walk away feeling about the numbers you put up?

Steward: I felt pretty good. I felt great about the numbers I put up. I was just working for it about 3 months before it. I was out at Bommarito’s in Florida. They helped me with some nicks, little things to help me increase my speed and open up my hips. Once I got a ‘Pro Day,” I was back at my school, so I felt comfortable. I just wanted to go out there and show the scouts that I had speed and I could move my hips well.

That’s the physical side, how do you mentally prepare for one day that could alter your entire life?

Steward: How I go about my life, I’m big on God. I’m a Christian, my family is big into it, so I just put my faith into Him. Believe in my abilities, put my faith in God, and go out there and showcase.

You played as a freshman at Troy University and went on to have an amazing career there. How much does being thrown into the fire and gaining so much experience at Troy propel you moving forward?

Steward: Those type of moments just keeps me calm because I seen a lot of things at a young age. That was the main reason I went to Troy just to get that experience early, see what the college game is like, and of course, I knew the speed of the game would be different. My coaches, having faith in me and throwing me out there as a freshman helped me as I got older to know what was coming, how to film study, and prepare for everything.

Anyone who has played the game dreams of hearing their name called, putting on their hat, and shaking the commissioner’s hand. Have you had time to even think about that part of the process yet?

Steward: While I was training, I wasn’t really thinking about it, but after “Pro Day” happened and I put up good numbers, I started thinking about it more. I’ve been talking to my dad and brothers about it. Just waiting for that moment to happen, I think it’s going to be a feeling you don’t have words for. I can’t wait for it, but then after that, my mind will be back focused on football. I just can’t wait.

What do you do to get away from it all right now?

Steward: I’m a simple guy. I’m from the country, so I’m down here with my dad just hanging out with family. We’re a tight family and that’s really all I do when I come home. I’m big on that. They help me get my mind off of it because they know I take football very seriously to try and help provide for them in the future. Hanging with them and just being a regular person takes my mind off of football.

I’m a southern guy, and you’re a southern guy. That New Orleans Saints uniform would look really good on you. Besides, we have great cornerbacks here that you could learn from.

Steward: (Laughing). Wherever I go I’m going to be blessed about it, thank God for it, but we’re southern guys, so if I could have that opportunity for my family to come see me play with me being closer to home, I’d be so grateful for that. That would be my reasoning for wanting to be on a southern team, so that my family could come see me play, but wherever I get picked I’d be grateful for it. I don’t care where I go.

Would you like to play right away, or come in behind someone and learn while taking reps?

Steward: I feel like I’m prepared to play early. I trust my technique enough for coaches to believe in me and throw me out there right away. If I get the opportunity to do that, I’d be ready for it. If I have to go to a place where they want me to develop, I’ll be ready for that as well. I’m just keeping an open mind, and I’m ready to adapt and adjust to any environment I go to.

You mentioned technique and adapting. The league is making is tough on defensive players in terms of limited contact in coverage and prohibiting ways defenders can tackle. Do these rule changes impact your approach to the game?

Steward: you have to adjust because the game is changing. You have to be conscious of how you coming downhill and making tackles. If you’re going for the ball or for a hit, you have to show a difference in your game, because that’s what the refs are looking for nowadays. It’s an adjustment that I don’t have a problem with. It’s just part of the game.

Have you had someone mentor you through this process?

Steward: Yes1 I have a mentor who I work out with when I come home, and I lean on him for advice. His name is Jerraud Powers. He played in the league for about 8 or 9 years with the Colts, Cardinals, and Ravens. I just lean on him with a lot of stuff on the NFL level because he’s already been through it. I’ve been working out with him since my junior year of high school. He’s like my big brother, my mentor all in one. I ask him a lot of questions about how I should approach rookie mini-camp and stuff like that, and he gives me advice.

The closer we get to April 25^th, are you anxious, nervous, or a little bit of both?

Steward: It’s more anxiousness than nervousness. I don’t think I get nervous about any situation. Just wondering who is going to call your phone from what city. How far am I going to have to go and things like that.

Explain what type of player the team that selects you will be getting?

Steward: They’re going to get a coachable guy, who is willing to learn. As a rookie, I know I’m starting at ground zero and I’m fine with that. Just a guy that’s willing to learn and listen and work hard. That was embedded in me at Troy. We worked for everything we had. A smart film study player who will know what’s coming on the field before it happens.

Do you study any particular defensive backs to take little nuggets from?

Steward: There are a ton of players, but I look at guys that are around my size, so I can see how my game will transfer to the NFL because they’re doing great. I look at guys like Denzel Ward, Kenny Moore for the Colts. He is small in stature, but he plays with so much confidence you can’t even tell.

You are from Decatur, Alabama which is a very small town, what advice would you give someone who is from a small town or maybe attended a small college to let them know they could accomplish this too.

Steward: Put your faith in the process. I tell the younger guys; these scouts know talent. No matter where you go or where you’re from, if you’re putting up good numbers, they will find you regardless. I commend the NFL for that. Put your faith in God and put the work in every day. There’s guys that’s been from smaller cities than I’m from make it, so just put your head down, stay out the way, stay out of trouble, you can do the same thing.

The post Troy University Cornerback ‘Reddy’ To Hear His Name Called On Draft Day first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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LIVE from the NMA Convention Raheem DeVaughn Says The Time Is Now: Let’s End HIV in Our Communities #2

Set against the backdrop of the NMA conference, Executive Officers from the National Medical Association, Grammy Award Winning Artist and Advocate Raheem DeVaughn, and Gilead Sciences experts, are holding today an important conversation on HIV prevention and health equity. Black women continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV despite advances in prevention options. Today’s event […]

Published

3 days ago

February 3, 2026

Oakland Post

Black women continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV despite advances in prevention options. Today’s event is designed to uplift voices, explore barriers to access, and increase awareness and key updates about PrEP, a proven prevention method that remains underutilized among Black women. This timely gathering will feature voices from across health, media, and advocacy as we break stigma and center equity in HIV prevention.

Additional stats and information to know:

● Black women continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV, with Black women representing more than 50% of new HIV diagnoses among women in the U.S. in 2022, despite comprising just 13% of women in the U.S.

● Women made up only 8% of PrEP users despite representing 19% of all new HIV diagnoses in 2022.

● Gilead Sciences is increasing awareness and addressing stigma by encouraging regular HIV testing and having judgment-free conversations with your healthcare provider about prevention options, including oral PrEP and long-acting injectable PrEP options.

● PrEP is an HIV prevention medication that has been available since 2012.

● Only 1 in 3 people in the U.S. who could benefit from PrEP were prescribed a form of PrEP in 2022.

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TRUMP: “Washington, D.C. is Safe”

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — President Trump, who typically travels with a full contingent of high-level protection, insinuated that he finally felt safe enough to go to dinner in the District of Columbia. “My wife and I went out to dinner last night for the first time in four years,” said the nation’s 47th president.

Published

3 days ago

February 3, 2026

Oakland Post

By Apriil Ryan
BlackPressUSA Washington Bureau Chief and White House Correspondent

“Washington, D.C. is safe,” President Trump declared from the Oval Office today. Those words came while Trump was hosting Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During the question-and-answer session, which primarily focused on a peace deal in the Russian-Ukrainian war, Trump explained, “You did that in four days.” He was speaking of how fast the National Guard quelled the violence in what was once called Chocolate City.

The President deployed the National Guard to D.C. a week ago, to a city with reduced crime rates over the previous year. Violent crime dropped by 26%, marking the lowest level in 30 years. Homicides also fell by 11%.

President Trump, who typically travels with a full contingent of high-level protection, insinuated that he finally felt safe enough to go to dinner in the District of Columbia. “My wife and I went out to dinner last night for the first time in four years,” said the nation’s 47th president.

Trump reinforced his claim about the newly acquired safety in D.C. by relaying that a friend’s son is attending dinner in D.C., something he would not have done last year.

After the president finished his comments, a reporter/commentator in the room with close connections to Marjorie Taylor Greene jumped into the high-level conversation to affirm the president’s comments, saying, “I walked around yesterday with MTG. If you can walk around D.C. with MTG and not be attacked, this city is safe.”

That reporter was the same person who chastised President Zelenskyy months ago during his first Oval Office meeting with Trump for not wearing a business suit. Zelenskyy, a wartime President, has been clad in less formal attire to reflect the country’s current war stance against Russia.

Without any sourcing, President Trump also said, “People that haven’t gone out to dinner in Washington, D.C., in two years are going out to dinner, and the restaurants the last two days have been busier than they’ve been in a long time.”

The increase in policing in Washington, D.C. is because a 19-year-old former Doge employee was carjacked in the early hours of the morning recently.

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Rising Energy Costs Weigh Heaviest on Black Households

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — For many African American families, the cost of keeping the lights on and homes heated or cooled is not just a monthly bill — it’s a crushing financial burden.

Published

3 days ago

February 3, 2026

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

For many African American families, the cost of keeping the lights on and homes heated or cooled is not just a monthly bill — it’s a crushing financial burden.

A new national study from Binghamton University and California State University, San Bernardino, finds that Black households spend a far larger share of their income on energy compared to white households, even when income levels are the same. “We often say that African Americans suffer more, but we often blame it just on income. And the reality is, there is something more there,” study author George Homsy, associate professor at Binghamton University, wrote. “It’s not just because they tend to be poor. There is something that’s putting them at a disadvantage. I think what happened is it happens to be where they live.” The study, published in Energy Research & Social Science, analyzed 65,000 census tracts across the United States. It found that while the average American household spends about 3.2% of income on energy bills, households in the majority African American census tracts spend an average of 5.1%.

Homsy and researcher Ki Eun Kang point to the age and condition of housing stock, along with lower homeownership rates, as key drivers. Their research concludes that “energy burden is not simply a matter of income or energy cost but also race, which might be driven by place.” Older, less energy-efficient housing and high rental rates in Black communities mean residents often cannot make upgrades like improved insulation or new appliances, locking families into higher bills.

Tradeoffs and Health Risks

The consequences go beyond money. Families forced to spend 10% or more of their income on energy — what experts classify as “unmanageable” — may cut back on food, medicine, or other essentials. More than 12 million U.S. households report leaving their homes at unsafe temperatures to reduce costs, while millions more fall behind on utility bills. The health effects are severe. High energy burdens increase risks of asthma, depression, poor sleep, pneumonia, and even premature death. The issue is especially acute for African Americans, who are disproportionately exposed to housing and environmental conditions that amplify these risks.

Washington, D.C.: A Case Study

In Washington, D.C., the problem is particularly stark. A recent analysis by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) shows that SNAP-eligible households spend more than 20% of their income on energy bills. Across the metro area, nearly two-thirds of low-income households devote over 6% of their income to energy, and 40% face what researchers call a “severe financial strain,” paying more than 10%. Pepco, the District’s primary electricity provider, has implemented three consecutive annual rate hikes, pushing the average household bill to $114 per month as of January 2025. Shutoffs have followed — nearly 12,000 customers lost service in 2024, with disconnections doubling after a summer rate hike. Washington Gas has also sought a 12% rate increase and pushed a controversial $215 million pipeline replacement project, rebranded as “District SAFE.” The plan could ultimately cost D.C. households an additional $45,000 each over several decades, or nearly $1,000 annually added to bills.

Historical Roots

Researchers argue that these inequities are not accidental but rooted in history. The ScienceDirect study reveals that African American communities living in formerly redlined neighborhoods continue to face disadvantages today — from poor housing quality to higher climate risks. Homsy says policymakers must make targeted efforts. “It is harder to get to rental units where a lot of poor people live,” he noted. “We need to work harder to get into these communities of color.”