A former D1 football player trains younger athletes in his community

One West Point athlete returns to his old stomping grounds with hopes to make a difference in the community

WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI)- A humbling message people have probably heard before is “don’t forget where you came from”.

One West Point athlete returns to his old stomping grounds with hopes to make a difference in the community.

West Point native Scott Lashley returned to his hometown with one purpose on his agenda; helping athletes on and off the field. Lashley is no stranger when it comes to the field. He played football for the Greenwave in high school. After graduating in 2016, Lashley attended the University of Alabama with a football scholarship.

Four seasons of playing for the Crimson Tide earned Lashley an experience of a lifetime. In 2020, he headed west; Mississippi State was his final stop as he finished his collegiate football career as a Bulldog.

“It was always my goal to always come back one day to either have a gym, which is the ultimate goal, but also just to give back to my community and take some the things that I learned from Alabama and Mississippi State and give back to some of the athletes,” said Lashley.

Lashley is training athletes over the next couple of weeks, and there’s a hint of nostalgia to remind him where it all began. Sessions are happening at field house he practiced at years ago.

“He has so much knowledge from being with two great programs and it’s something that you can’t get from the area where we are you have to go all the way up state or out of town to get that training,” said trainee Jhace Mallard.

“It’s hard getting somebody older to come back and give to West Point and I like that about Scott. He’s training areas that I wasn’t getting at first he’s getting me ready for the next level,” said trainee Jacoby Mcquiller.

Other than showing students the nature of the game, he’s also teaching them to care for their bodies. Lashley sustained several injuries and even high blood pressure while playing in college. He’s offering assistance to help folks and athletes that may suffer from those conditions.

“When guys come in a train with me I can assist you with your eating habits. I’m not a professional, but I do have some keen awareness about it. because I live in the nutrition room I live in the weight room and training room which translates to the field, but not only the field but classroom as well,” said Lashley.

So what’s Lashley up to now? He’s interning with Mississippi State as an assistant strength and conditioning coach while working to get his C.S.C.S. He plans to continue working with student athletes around the community.

“Everybody won’t get a chance to play at a college level. I tell certain guys that they don’t have to go to a juco or to college to come train with me it’s for everybody,” said Lashley.

For athletes or people that want to get trained by Lashley click here .