Kingdom Stories

From his mother introducing him to the game of football after school one day as a kid, to scholarship offers to play quarterback in college and then a positional switch at Ohio State to linebacker that's now only five years in the making, the journey of new Chiefs' linebacker Darron Lee will open your eyes to what the speedy playmaking linebacker has gone through the reach the highest level of football in the world. This is Darron's journey...in his words.

From growing up in the tiny town of Gloster, Mississippi, which has less than a thousand people, to initially going to Alcorn State out of high school to play defensive end, then transferring to Jones Community College to play for the legend, Ray Perkins-before finishing his college career at the University of Minnesota, Wilson's journey has seen multiple stops that has led him here to Kansas City. This is Damien's journey...in his words.

Alex Okafor's father migrated to the United States from Nigeria when he was 19 years old to attend Grambling State University, and after meeting his future wife while in college, the family ultimately settled down in Texas, where their son-Alex, would go on to play football for the Longhorns. He was a foundational piece of the defensive transformation of the New Orleans Saints over the last few years, and now he's looking to do the same thing in Kansas City. This is Alex's journey...in his words.

Bashaud Breeland didn't have a relationship with his own father until he turned 16 years old, and now that _he's_ a father to a little girl, his entire mindset has changed. Breeland also spoke about NFL locker rooms being a "melting pot" of cultures of backgrounds, and how football has always brought everyone together throughout his life. This is Bashaud's journey...in his words.

Thornhill was a standout basketball player and quarterback in the small town of Altavista, Virginia, and despite the doubters who didn't think a kid from that small town could make it in the NFL, Thornhill proved them wrong and burst onto the scene as a young player who might be able to help the Chiefs' defense sooner rather than later. This is Juan's journey...in his words.

Tyrann Mathieu never had it easy growing up in the Fifth Ward of New Orleans. His father was in jail for murder and his mother left him to be raised by other family members. But he did not let it define him and has grown with their relationships over the years. Hurricane Katrina displaced him as a teenager, and he's lost so many friends and family over the years that he's running out of places to tattoo the crosses honoring those who he now sees as "angels looking over him" on his right leg. This is Tyrann's journey...in his words.

Saunders grew up in the St. Louis area in a diverse neighborhood and attended Parkway Central High School. He was a standout 285-pound running back in high school whose athleticism and love affair with basketball once earned him the nickname of "Fat Kyrie" from one of his college coaches at Western Illinois. But at just 6-feet tall, Saunders was consistently told he'd never make it, and combined with a living situation as a child that opened his eyes to the love and care his mother provided, Saunders uses that as a fuel as a new father himself to a little girl. This is Khalen's journey...in his words.

From growing up in the West Adams District of Los Angeles and having gangs shoot up the house he lived in with his single mother twice in less than a week, to spending time in a homeless shelter on Skid Row before moving out to Cleveland as a young kid, the journey of Chiefs' defensive end Frank Clark is one of strength and perseverance. This is Frank's journey...in his words.