NFL Media will debut a four-part docuseries featuring New Orleans Saints All-Pro and team captain Cameron Jordan and his community partnership with Crescent City Corps, a New Orleans-based nonprofit that equips police officers with leadership development, racial equity and community engagement training so they can work alongside citizens to build a more just, safe, and inclusive city. Police-community relations are a core pillar of Inspire Change, the NFL’s social justice initiative, which showcases the collaborative efforts of players, owners, and the League to create positive change in communities across the country and ensure that equal opportunity becomes a reality for all.
The series will air exclusively on NFL Network and NFL.com, beginning on Thursday, Nov. 11 and run for four weeks. New episodes will debut during NFL Network’s TNF First Look hosted by Andrew Siciliano which airs from 3-5 p.m. ET live from the site of Thursday Night Football games. Extended episodes will follow each Friday on NFL.com. The series preview is available here.
“Last summer I reached out to the Mayor’s office asking how I can get involved in a real, meaningful way,” said Jordan. “Over the last six months the officers of Crescent City Corps have been training diligently, and I am excited to have NFL Media help us in sharing this innovative program with fans. I have always believed in developing initiatives to create a positive change. I strongly believe that if we can help the officers in this program understand and engage with our city, my city’s, most challenging issues better, while also working toward a more just and safe New Orleans -- then I am all in.”
Crescent City Corps began its Anti-Racism and Community Engagement Training Program for New Orleans police officers in 2019. While the program was put on hold due to COVID-19, Jordan announced his partnership with the organization in December 2020, with his God Iz Love Foundation donating $120,000 to fund the expansion of the program into its current second class and committed to educating 80 New Orleans Police Department officers to bridge the gap between the community and the police.
“Coming off of the events of last year, where so many from across all walks of life, of all ages, of all races spoke out against social injustice and racial inequality, a recurring question that arose as the summer turned to the fall was ‘What happens next?,'” said Anthony Smith, original content lead, entertainment & initiatives at NFL Media. “The work that Cam Jordan, Crescent City Corps, and others like them are doing is what happens next. When we at NFL Media were presented with the opportunity to share Cam and CCC’s story with our audience, we immediately said ‘yes.’”
The four-part docuseries will chronicle Jordan’s experience working with Crescent City Corps and captures his introduction to and the progression of his connection with the fellows as they go through the program which includes 80 hours of intensive training and dialogue on topics spanning leadership, racial equality, and trauma-informed policing. Local community organizations also engage the officers in critical conversations to help the NOPD understand what citizens want from law enforcement and to create a productive dialogue to reimagine what public safety could look like in New Orleans.
“Cam Jordan has been a pillar in the New Orleans community during his entire career with the Saints, and we are thrilled about his commitment to making change in police-community relations,” said Anna Isaacson, NFL senior vice president of social responsibility.
Over the last three years, more than $160 million in grants have been awarded to social justice nonprofit organizations as part of Inspire Change, including over 1,500 grants awarded to current and former NFL players who are doing philanthropic work to ensure that access to opportunity is a reality for all and to create progress across four key areas: education, economic advancement, police and community relations, and criminal justice reform.
The series is executive produced by Jordan, Smith and Angela Ellis with Chelsea Stark-Jones, Matt Bourgeois, Rebecca Otto (Wasserman), and Brent Godfrey (Crescent City Corps) acting as producers.