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http://www.ocregister.com/articles/sensabaugh-709771-shoes-month.html
Coty Sensabaugh wants to help the Rams win games this fall, but he has a few things to tend to first. There’s a wedding and a trip to the Dominican Republic, one Sensabaugh hopes will improve lives.
The soon-to-be Sensabaughs chose to forego a traditional honeymoon. Instead, they will travel to the island nation to distribute shoes to needy children. They’re taking the wedding party, perhaps as many as 16 family members and friends, to the island nation and will visit five schools and orphanages.
“We’ve been blessed tremendously,” Sensabaugh said, “and we believe in blessing others.”
What a time this is for Sensabaugh, a 27-year-old cornerback, a period full of choice and change.
It starts next month, when Sensabaugh visits Los Angeles for the first time and starts offseason workouts with the Rams, with whom he signed as a free agent this month. In late May, Sensabaugh will travel to Georgia and marry his college sweetheart, Dominique Jordan.
Then it’s time for the couple’s honeymoon, which is when Sensabaugh’s character is revealed.
The trip is organized through “Soles 4 Souls,” a Tennessee-based non-profit organization. Sensabaugh’s group – dubbed “Sensabaugh Mission Moon” – has been collecting shoes and, though a fundraising website, has raised more than $3,200, which will be used to be more shoes.
Why shoes? For one, Sensabaugh loves them – “I could tell you stories about pretty much all the sneakers I’ve ever owned,” he said – but shoes can make a multi-faceted difference in the lives of poor children.
Kids without shoes sometimes are prohibited from attending school and have an increased risk of contracting disease and infection. “Soles 4 Souls” organizes mission trips throughout the year.
“In these countries, they’re so appreciative of everything,” Sensabaugh said. “In America, we take for granted having a pair of shoes on our feet. These families who are going to get shoes, it will help them bridge the economic gap and it will help them have a chance. We’re not saying it’s definitely going to make them successful, but it gives them a chance. I’m big on trying to give people opportunities.”
Sensabaugh credits his fiancee with the idea. Jordan, he said, took a mission trip to the Dominican Republic when they were students at Clemson and had an impactful experience.
Sensabaugh, who helped organize a large fundraising campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society – his brother, Jamaar, died of leukemia in 2000 – had been looking for a way to get involved in a mission trip, and Jordan came up with the idea of tying it to their wedding.
Less than a month after their wedding – and after Sensabaugh holds a free football clinic for kids in his hometown – the couple will head south for the “mission moon.”
“People are going to have an experience of a lifetime,” Sensabaugh said. “From what she has told me about mission trips, it changes your perspective on life, so I’m totally excited about that.”
When, exactly, Sensabaugh will have time to catch his breath remains to be seen. Wedding and trip planning aside, this has been a whirlwind month for Sensabaugh, who is in a major transition.
Until recently, life had been pretty stable. Sensabaugh, who grew up in Kingsport, Tenn., near the border with both Virginia and North Carolina, was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round in 2012.
After three seasons, mostly spent in a backup role, Sensabaugh earned a starting job last season and had two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) in 16 games.
Sensabaugh became an unrestricted free agent this month, a time filled with opportunity and stress. The open market included a large number of talented cornerbacks, and Sensabaugh experienced the delicate balance between not accepting the first offer but also not waiting too long to sign.
Sensabaugh joked about “begging” his agent, Christina Phillips, to call him with updates, and five days into the free-agency period, Sensabaugh agreed to a three-year contract with the Rams. He became the first outside free agent to sign with the newly relocated Rams.
“I was extremely excited but also nervous,” Sensabaugh said, “because I knew it would be a big adjustment. We have to move everything. We have to find a new place to live. My fiancee has to find a new job out there.
“It’s just everything. It’s just a huge move. It’s not like we’re going three hours to Atlanta or Chicago. We’re going all the way across the country. We’re excited about it. I’m happy to be a part of something special. I think there’s going to be a “30 for 30” (ESPN show) made about us in years to come.”
If so, how big a part will Sensabaugh play in the drama?
The Rams need to replace starting cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who left via free agency this month. Trumaine Johnson will hold one spot. Coach Jeff Fisher told reporters at this week’s NFL owners’ meetings that he expects Sensabaugh to compete with E.J. Gaines for the other starting spot.
“Coty’s an instinctive, smart, productive player that can plug in and play either side,” Fisher said. “He sees things well. He relates. He doesn’t have any difficulty learning defenses. He just makes plays.”
Mike Mularkey, Sensabaugh’s former coach with the Titans, described him to ESPN.com as “a good blitzer, good cover guy and a really good person in the locker room.”
And outside the room, it seems. When workouts start next month in Oxnard, Sensabaugh will attempt to make a good impression on the field. Then he is certain to perform well in the Dominican Republic.
“That’s the coolest thing about my job,” Sensabaugh said, “is having the platform to be able to bless others and put smiles on other people’s faces. That feeling, there’s nothing like it. There’s no car, there’s no item of clothing, there’s nothing you can do that can match that feeling.”
Coty Sensabaugh wants to help the Rams win games this fall, but he has a few things to tend to first. There’s a wedding and a trip to the Dominican Republic, one Sensabaugh hopes will improve lives.
The soon-to-be Sensabaughs chose to forego a traditional honeymoon. Instead, they will travel to the island nation to distribute shoes to needy children. They’re taking the wedding party, perhaps as many as 16 family members and friends, to the island nation and will visit five schools and orphanages.
“We’ve been blessed tremendously,” Sensabaugh said, “and we believe in blessing others.”
What a time this is for Sensabaugh, a 27-year-old cornerback, a period full of choice and change.
It starts next month, when Sensabaugh visits Los Angeles for the first time and starts offseason workouts with the Rams, with whom he signed as a free agent this month. In late May, Sensabaugh will travel to Georgia and marry his college sweetheart, Dominique Jordan.
Then it’s time for the couple’s honeymoon, which is when Sensabaugh’s character is revealed.
The trip is organized through “Soles 4 Souls,” a Tennessee-based non-profit organization. Sensabaugh’s group – dubbed “Sensabaugh Mission Moon” – has been collecting shoes and, though a fundraising website, has raised more than $3,200, which will be used to be more shoes.
Why shoes? For one, Sensabaugh loves them – “I could tell you stories about pretty much all the sneakers I’ve ever owned,” he said – but shoes can make a multi-faceted difference in the lives of poor children.
Kids without shoes sometimes are prohibited from attending school and have an increased risk of contracting disease and infection. “Soles 4 Souls” organizes mission trips throughout the year.
“In these countries, they’re so appreciative of everything,” Sensabaugh said. “In America, we take for granted having a pair of shoes on our feet. These families who are going to get shoes, it will help them bridge the economic gap and it will help them have a chance. We’re not saying it’s definitely going to make them successful, but it gives them a chance. I’m big on trying to give people opportunities.”
Sensabaugh credits his fiancee with the idea. Jordan, he said, took a mission trip to the Dominican Republic when they were students at Clemson and had an impactful experience.
Sensabaugh, who helped organize a large fundraising campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society – his brother, Jamaar, died of leukemia in 2000 – had been looking for a way to get involved in a mission trip, and Jordan came up with the idea of tying it to their wedding.
Less than a month after their wedding – and after Sensabaugh holds a free football clinic for kids in his hometown – the couple will head south for the “mission moon.”
“People are going to have an experience of a lifetime,” Sensabaugh said. “From what she has told me about mission trips, it changes your perspective on life, so I’m totally excited about that.”
When, exactly, Sensabaugh will have time to catch his breath remains to be seen. Wedding and trip planning aside, this has been a whirlwind month for Sensabaugh, who is in a major transition.
Until recently, life had been pretty stable. Sensabaugh, who grew up in Kingsport, Tenn., near the border with both Virginia and North Carolina, was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round in 2012.
After three seasons, mostly spent in a backup role, Sensabaugh earned a starting job last season and had two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) in 16 games.
Sensabaugh became an unrestricted free agent this month, a time filled with opportunity and stress. The open market included a large number of talented cornerbacks, and Sensabaugh experienced the delicate balance between not accepting the first offer but also not waiting too long to sign.
Sensabaugh joked about “begging” his agent, Christina Phillips, to call him with updates, and five days into the free-agency period, Sensabaugh agreed to a three-year contract with the Rams. He became the first outside free agent to sign with the newly relocated Rams.
“I was extremely excited but also nervous,” Sensabaugh said, “because I knew it would be a big adjustment. We have to move everything. We have to find a new place to live. My fiancee has to find a new job out there.
“It’s just everything. It’s just a huge move. It’s not like we’re going three hours to Atlanta or Chicago. We’re going all the way across the country. We’re excited about it. I’m happy to be a part of something special. I think there’s going to be a “30 for 30” (ESPN show) made about us in years to come.”
If so, how big a part will Sensabaugh play in the drama?
The Rams need to replace starting cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who left via free agency this month. Trumaine Johnson will hold one spot. Coach Jeff Fisher told reporters at this week’s NFL owners’ meetings that he expects Sensabaugh to compete with E.J. Gaines for the other starting spot.
“Coty’s an instinctive, smart, productive player that can plug in and play either side,” Fisher said. “He sees things well. He relates. He doesn’t have any difficulty learning defenses. He just makes plays.”
Mike Mularkey, Sensabaugh’s former coach with the Titans, described him to ESPN.com as “a good blitzer, good cover guy and a really good person in the locker room.”
And outside the room, it seems. When workouts start next month in Oxnard, Sensabaugh will attempt to make a good impression on the field. Then he is certain to perform well in the Dominican Republic.
“That’s the coolest thing about my job,” Sensabaugh said, “is having the platform to be able to bless others and put smiles on other people’s faces. That feeling, there’s nothing like it. There’s no car, there’s no item of clothing, there’s nothing you can do that can match that feeling.”
