The Buffalo Bills have started the season in amazing fashion. At press time, the Bills have yet to lose a game and have victories over several playoff and Super Bowl caliber teams.
George Wilson is an intricate part of the Bills’ early success. As the starting safety for the Bills, Wilson has anchored a defense that is giving opposing offenses fits. But along with making big plays on the field, Wilson also does great work off the field to help his community.
Wilson recently sat down with rolling out to discuss the Bills and his community initiatives.–amir shaw
Why do you think the Bills have had an explosive start to the season?
It’s a new season, a new team, and a new set of expectations on my guys. We all knew over the past few seasons that we’ve beat ourselves and not helped ourselves win. We have to eliminate those mistakes. That’s the only way we’re going to be able to turn this thing around, and we’re just taking it one day at a time and one game at a time.
How did it feel to prove the naysayers wrong coming out of the gate?
It felt good. But it’s the beginning of the season and we don’t expect people to start giving us any type of recognition or change the way they perceive us until we do it consistently. We’re not really trying to worry about what everyone else thinks.
What advice would you give young kids looking to make a name for themselves?
Sometimes people feel handicapped and handcuffed by their environments and really feel like it restricts them and holds them hostage. If anyone is in that position and not able to get away, I try to tell them to find a way to use it as motivation. That’s not what you want for yourself or for your family when you start one. So you have to do the things that are necessary to change that. Sometimes you have to weather the storm and just be patient, whether you’re going to school to get your education, or playing sports. You have to work harder and longer than anyone else because there’s no substitute for hard work. Anything worth having is worth working for. … If you have a positive attitude and you’re willing to work hard, anything is possible. But you can’t just give in to circumstance and allow things to change or affect your attitude each and every day.
What are some things you’re doing for the community to give back?
I have a foundation called the George Wilson Safety Foundation. Safety is the position I play on the football field and it’s the acronym for my mission statement, which is Saving Adolescents from the Everyday Trials of Youth. I do a lot of work in my community. I supervise a lot of programs such as leadership retreats and football camps and cheerleading clinics to combat childhood obesity. I’ve fed families during Thanksgiving holidays, and I have two partnerships with the Southeastern United Dairy Industry Association to help combat childhood obesity through a program they have called Fuel Up to Play 60. I also work with the United Way as well to get volunteers, mentors and readers to combat the nation’s high dropout rate. During the off-season, the bulk of my time goes to community service programs and trying to see where I can share my blessings to help improve others’ lives.
Follow George Wilson on Twitter @GWilson37
