Rams Linebacker Akeem Ayers Inspires Students At His Former LA High School
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Akeem Ayers is most famous for stopping the Seattle Seahawks at the goaline during last year's Super Bowl on the play before the infamous interception that gave the Patriots the victory.
Ayers is a Southland native, and signed a 2-year contract with the now Los Angeles Rams in March of 2015.
The NFL linebacker says all his success started at Verbum Dei High School in Los Angeles.
Ayers came back to his high school alma mater on Friday to speak with local kids.
"It's a good feeling being able to come back to where you started," Ayers said.
"I sat at the same seats those guys are in. We're part of the same community," he added.
Before joining the Rams, Ayers grew up in Watts, attended UCLA, and was drafted by the Titans in 2011, before playing for the Patriots last season.
"Hopefully, I'm here for good now," Ayers told CBS2's Amber Lee.
He returns to Los Angeles with a Super Bowl championship under his belt, something he also hopes to bring back to Los Angeles.
Ayers says that no matter how much success comes his way, he will always remember the opportunity that was given to him at Verbum Dei High School.
He told the students to, "Focus on school work, [because they] have a school that's preparing you guys for college. For life after you leave here," he said.
Christopher Clarkson, a senior at Verbum Dei High School, was impressed with Ayers' talk.
"It's just so inspiring to see someone who came from the same environment to just make it, and it gives me hope that I can be just like him," Clarkson said.
