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“He came here as a guest and he loves the place,” said Charles Long, director of Culinary Operations. “He did an interview with the New York Times and he was talking about Charlotte and how much he loved Mac’s Speed Shop, so our marketing department saw the interview and said, ‘Okay, let’s reach out to him.'”
That guy was Fitzgerald. Mac’s Speed Shop approached him before the season to create a partnership with a purpose, and Fitzgerald didn’t hesitate.
“My skills have given me this platform,” Fitzgerald said. “Now use the platform to give back.”
It started with a signature menu, including Fitz’s Big Kick Brisket Sandwich.
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“And in true athlete fashion, he wanted the bread, the meat, gave me the protein and cut out everything else,” Long said.
Mac’s Speed Shop said it would donate 10% of sales to a local group of Fitzgerald’s choosing, which is Promise Youth Development.
Channel 9’s DaShawn Brown asked Fitzgerald, “When you got the call from Mac and you were researching where you wanted to offer this support, what was it about this organization that caught your attention?”
“I think (Promise Youth Development’s) mission to reach out to underserved youth through mentoring, education and anti-violence programs. I think it’s a great cause,” Fitzgerald said.
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“Oh my gosh. To be honest, it felt like a miracle, because it had never happened before,” said Tesha Boyd, founder of Promise Youth Development. “It makes it so much sweeter because he did it alone. We didn’t ask him.”
Boyd said she was as surprised as anyone.
“I saw the post on social media and they tagged us and I thought, ‘Is this a scam? What is going on here?'” Boyd said.
The effort couldn’t have come at a better time, he said.
“We were already notified that we wouldn’t be receiving funding from any particular agency next year, but Ryan showed up,” Boyd said.
“I’m cool with it because I think every time you come to the NFL, you’re trying to build your brand on the field, but you’re also trying to help promote your causes off the field,” Fitzgerald said.
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“So this is a decision that he made and I didn’t know him. I didn’t know him at all,” Boyd said. “So now I’m more involved. And what’s happening on the field, because I’ve seen it off the field.”
VIDEO: Mac’s Speed Shop in South End honors an employee