J-Swagg Kazekage rules.
Running back Jamaal Williams is the anime king of the NFL, and on Sunday he showed that’s about more than talking about his favorite shows or repping some gear. Williams invited members of a local kid’s anime club to watch the Saints dismantle the Panthers, and met with them afterwards in a clip that’s a delight from beginning to end.
“Yeah, yeah … you didn’t know nerds could look this good, did you?” Williams says, while greeting the kids. Rocking an Akatsuki jacket from Naruto, Williams, was quick to let the kids know that he’s actually a Kazekage, referencing his iconic Sunday Night Football intro in 2023 when he introduced himself as “J-Swagg Kazekage, leader of the hidden village of the den.”
Williams has been on a mission to dispel the stereotype that NFL athletes have one universal personality type as the brash, bold, jock. He routinely calls himself a “nerd,” embracing that players in the league have a wide variety of interests outside of football.
“Let me say this again. Whatever you think you know about NFL players, or you think you know what we are, you don’t know me, I’m not that. I’m literally just a nerd. I play football. I’m good at football. But I know what I like and that’s anime. That’s my social life, off the field thing,” said Williams.
It’s not uncommon to see NFL players do outreach with kids, but normally it’s especially cool to take a group of kids from an anime club, many of whom have probably been labeled as “nerds,” and show that it’s awesome to have different interests and there’s no shame putting it out there for the world to see.
Jamaal Williams is that guy, and it’s awesome.
