CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- Former NFL linebacker and UVA standout Wali Rainer hosted his third annual I Am Power Police Athletic League football camp earlier this week at River City Sportsplex in Chesterfield County, bringing together young campers, coaches and former NFL players to build bridges between youth and law enforcement.
Campers were put through drills by coaches and players from Trinity Episcopal, along with former Super Bowl champion and Hermitage standout Jamie Sharper, who currently serves as defensive coordinator of the Louisville UFL franchise.
Rainer, who went through a Police Athletic League program himself growing up in Charlotte, said the camp is rooted in his own experience as a young person navigating the relationship between his community and law enforcement.
"Where I grew up at, when we're talking about police officers and in the neighborhood I grew up in, man, it's a big disconnect," Rainer said. "Rightfully so for some police officers, but it's bad people everywhere. And it really broke down some things for me when I was 8, 9, 10 years old. And that's why I give back to the community."
Sharper said Rainer's commitment to the community is what drew him to the camp.
"This guy inspires me. He inspires me a lot for what he does for the community and what he does for kids and also guys he coaches at Trinity," Sharper said. "It's just unbelievable the power that he brings and the energy he brings to everybody and everybody just rallies around him and it's a good thing."
CBS 6 provides Central Virginia with the most experienced local TV sports coverage in town. Count on Lane Casadonte and Sean Robertson for the most in-depth local sports coverage.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
