Forced to retire from professional football after a shoulder injury in 2003, former Redskins player Eddie Mason decided he wanted to help young kids learn about faith, work ethic and character. With the help of fellow teammate, James Thrash, he opened a sports camp, The Washington Post reported.
“We both had some Redskins recognition and figured we’d draw in a crowd of kids,” Mason said in the article. “We had maybe 10 kids. We were shocked. But hey, God says, ‘If you’re faithful in a few things, I’ll make you ruler over many.’ So that was the test, to see if we’d be faithful with those few kids.”
Fast forward eight years later, and Mason is the owner and operator of MASE Training Sports Performance & Fitness Center in Sterling, Va. (www.masetraining.com), which stands for “Muscle and Spiritual Empowerment, the report stated.
Today, the 7,500-square-foot facility serves a variety of clients including grade school, junior high and high school students, as well as college football players, current and former Washington Redskins players and even stay-at-home moms, according to The Washington Post.
“He’s teaching positive life lessons,” Redskins defensive lineman Kedric Golston said in article. “Just like out here, you’re tired, you want to quit. Well, sometimes in life, you want to quit, but small things like fighting through this will help you become a tougher person. The things he’s doing are right.”
In addition to focus on the physical aspects of training, such as strength and flexibility, Mason also focuses on the mind – with Desire, Character, Determination, Faith, Pride, Will, Focus, Respect, Discipline and Passion printed across the front windows of his center, according to the report. And each of the front doors say, “Get your mind right.”
“To be in elite physical condition, the first step is working from the inside out,” Mason said to The Washington Post. “As Marty Schottenheimer used to say: ‘You don’t win with the best athletes. You win with good people.’ I’m trying to mold healthy and good people.”