The Michigan football program is currently in Italy for a special week of practice.
According to Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh, who is along for the trip with his coaching staff and 99 players, the trip is meant to be “a cultural, educational and international football experience for his program.”
They wasted no time working on the first two experiences.
The Wolverines directly headed to Borghese Gardens where they met with refugees.
During their visit, Michigan players and coaches were handing out Jordan backpacks that were filled with blankets, shirts and pants. There was also a hilarious moment when one Nigerian refugee was chatting with Harbaugh and was dumbfounded by the fact that the game was called football.
A Nigerian refugee, talking with Jim Harbaugh, is utterly baffled at why it’s called football. pic.twitter.com/KYCuEG8BZn
— Kyle Rowland (@KyleRowland) April 23, 2017
The players were really appreciative of the experience and seemed to be taking it all in.
“What an experience,” quarterback Wilton Speight told the Toledo Blade. “I saw on the itinerary that we were going to have an opportunity to meet some refugees, but I didn’t know it was going to be like this where we could dive into each other’s lives and teach each other a thing or two about our background, our culture, our favorite sport. It’s been a cool experience.”
Let @WiltonSpeight fill you in on Day One in Rome: sightseeing, bonding and a new level of appreciation for what we have. #HAILROMA pic.twitter.com/zX6Gnl8kGV
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) April 23, 2017
Kudos to Harbaugh and his program for not only giving the players such a great experience, but for going out of their way to visit those who could benefit from being surrounded by such positive energy.
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Photo Credit: Twitter
