Extra Effort: Where Are They Now? Keion Crossen
Posted June 11, 2020 10:57 p.m. EDT
Updated June 11, 2020 11:24 p.m. EDT
Conway, N.C. — "Keion Crossen made his name as a two-way, All-State football player," said Tom Suiter when originally presenting Keion Crossen with the Extra Effort Award back in May 2014.
In the grand scheme of things, six years isn't some sizable passage of time, but during that span, Crossen put on some size.
"More than an athlete, he's a proud honor student who's always full of energy, always positive," Suiter said at the time.
"Geez, man, I was tiny, bro!" Crossen said with a laugh while re-watching the video of his award presentation. "I was a super tiny guy."
About 50 pounds, mostly muscle, Crossen estimates. Not counting the 10 carats worth of diamonds and sapphires when wearing his Super Bowl 53 ring. Crossen played on the Patriots special teams unit in New England's 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta.
"God always blessed me to be in the right place at the right time," Crossen said.
An NFL champion in his first year.
"I never thought I wouldn't, so I can tell you that much," nods Crossen. "I'm a champion at heart."
Before the 2019 regular season began, the Patriots traded Crossen to the Texans. He went from going up against arguably the greatest quarterback of all-time in Tom Brady to one of the superstar quarterbacks of tomorrow in DeShaun Watson.
Along the way, Crossen never lost that work ethic that made him stand out.
"You see a lot of kids who are born with the talent and have the talent, but they don't want to work," said Jonas Pope, former Sports Editor of the Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald. "Well, he's a kid who has the talent but also wants to work to get better."
He's currently training under that blistering Lone Star State sun.
"I get to experience some of this heat, and it is roasting out this thing. It is hot," Crossen said with a laugh.
Crossen's head is in Houston, but his heart remains where he took his first snaps.
"I tell kids it's not where you come from, you got to work for what you want and it's gonna be hard," said Crossen.
He's the product of a proud community, a professional with a lot of pride in seeing others succeed.
"There a lot of talent and it gets missed because we're not in a D-1 caliber atmosphere within a 1A high school," Crossen said.
