By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
It was a bit of a special occasion for Kingsley Jonathan when the NFL player held a football camp Saturday at Williams High School.
“It’s a full-circle moment,” Jonathan said. “Started here (in this county), went up to college in Syracuse. Stayed up in New York for the longest time.”
The “Kingsley Jonathan – Chasing Greatest Camp” brought him back to a field in Alamance County.
“This is still where home is,” he said. “Any opportunity I have to come back and spread more positivity.”
The former Eastern Alamance football player has had a range of experiences since he first suited up for the Eagles (when he was known as Jonathan Kingsley) and became part of a human trafficking investigation.
He’s a member of the New York Jets after signing as a free agent following a few months in the Houston Texas organization. He previously spent time with the Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears.
Jonathan is a Nigerian, arriving in North Carolina as a teenager. But his initial host family became part of an investigation into human trafficking and fell under the scrutiny of the FBI. It was a wide-ranging scandal that ultimately resulted in Eastern Alamance forfeiting football and basketball games in the 2015-16 school year and paying a fine to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.
At Eastern Alamance, Jonathan had befriended teammate Tim Grate. That led to him being adopted by Timothy and Tyra Grate, and he’s part of that family, which was heavily involved in the camp’s functions.
“Home is still Mebane,” Jonathan said. “Anytime I get in the offseason, come back and stay with the family.”
His path from Eastern Alamance led to finishing high school at St. Frances Academy in Maryland and then enrolling to play collegiately at Syracuse, where he was on the team from 2017-21 before his professional career.
These were huge steps for someone who had never played football until he was a teenager in Mebane.
“Had to pick it up and learn pretty quickly,” he said. “I had a lot of people in my corner that was showing me the right things.”
Williams coach Patrick Stokes was an Eastern Alamance assistant coach when Jonathan played for the Eagles. Stokes said the player’s story is incredible on many levels.
Stokes and a few Williams staffers were assisting with the camp in Burlington.
“Excited to have him involved in this,” Jonathan said.
Alex Parrish, a rising sophomore at Southeast Alamance, met Jonathan for the first time at the camp.
“I’ve seen him on TV,” Parrish said. “I’ve seen his game.”
Aaron Bolinsky, a former teammate of Jonathan at Syracuse, also helped with Saturday’s camp. He was a long snapper at Syracuse, and has moved to Mebane.
“We played together for three seasons,” Bolinsky said. “We built that relationship. It’s good to help him out.”
Duke co-captain Aaron Hall, a rising redshirt senior defensive tackle, also assisted at the camp.
Nate Richman, a former Boston College offensive lineman, was a camp organizer. He’s Jonathan’s agent.
Richman said about 50 campers, who left with T-shirts after lunch, attended. Next year the goal will be 100-plus, he said. Last year, Jonathan conducted a camp in Durham.
Parrish said he attended the camp because it was another chance to receive instruction.
“I just wanted to come out and get better,” he said.
Jonathan, 27, said he’s still looking to improve as he attempts to bolster his playing career. Training camp will begin soon with the Jets.
“We’re just getting started,” he said of his career. “We still got some football to play. Still getting cranked up.”
