A little over a week ago, as he was reading to students in Pittsburgh during a virtual Read Across America assembly, running back Trey Edmunds shared some exciting news.
He revealed to the kids he was reading to that he and his brothers, Steelers' safety Terrell Edmunds and Bills' linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, just released their own children's book, 'My Brother's Keeper – What This Means to Me' by the EBOYZ.
This week the three Edmunds' brothers appeared on NFL Network to talk about the book, which provides positive messages to kids, including one that has meaning to Terrell about being a role model.
"When I say about being a role model, it's just living by that leader example," said Terrell. "Everyone knows someone that is a leader or wants to be a leader. When you're out there, you have to lead by example. Even if we are talking about football, taking care of your craft. Always being in the weight room, being the first one in line for sprints, being on time. Holding yourself accountable, holding people around you accountable. Just being a leader."
With so many people struggling to be positive, including kids, the Edmunds brothers wanted to be certain they showed the next generation ways to be positive.
"Throughout life we are all going to go through things," said Tremaine. "The biggest thing is how you respond to those things, to adversity. You have to have people in your corner that care about you. You can't always figure things out on your own. You have to think about the positive side of every situation and encounter you might have. You have to stay positive and keep positive energy around you. You have to have positive vibes around."
The book includes illustrations along with the messages, including one of people of all races and genders holding hands in a circle surrounding the world, stressing that we are all family no matter what we look like.
"When we go back and look at the year that we had in 2020, a lot of things going on in our world that tried to divide us as a nation," said Trey. "It was something to bring us back together. At the end of the day, we are all facing trials and tribulations, going through things our own way, and my brothers and I wanted to show you that the only way to solve this problem is to come together as one. I think it was important and self-explanatory, but I appreciate the visual in the book that shows people of all different types, all different colors, all different genders, different nationalities. That was important and something we live by each and every day."
The Edmunds themselves began reading at a young age because their mom, Felicia Edmunds, is an educator and always encouraged it. So, writing their own book, it came naturally.
"My mother had me reading at a very young age," said Trey. "My mother is an educator, my grandmother was an educator, so I always read books from the school's library. Some of them I would say this is too much for me and she would say sit there and figure it out. I learned how to read more and more."
