Jarius Wright ‘carries the torch’ for Greg Childs and Arkansas

The Minnesota Vikings selected two wide receivers in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Those two individuals were Jarius Wright and Greg Childs, who both played their college football at Arkansas. Three seasons later, only Wright remains on the Vikings roster as the sole player from the University of Arkansas.

Dec 7, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jarius Wright (17) celebrates following the game against the New York Jets at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings defeated the Jets 30-24 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

That might not seem like a big deal to a lot of players, but Jarius Wright takes his time spent in Arkansas seriously. He was born in Warren, Arkansas and sees himself as an important sports figure for Warren as well as Arkansas. And although Greg Childs no longer is able to compete in the NFL because of knee injuries, Wright still feels a responsiblity to work hard to honor his home state and those who played there.

Jarius Wright recently spoke about his Arkansas pride and his relationship with Greg Childs in a recent article on the Fox Sports website:

"“I’m carrying the torch for all of Arkansas, for my hometown, for my family and friends,” Wright said. “He’s a family friend. He’s from my hometown. He’s from Arkansas. So you know I’m carrying the torch for him and the rest of my people.”"

Seeing Greg Childs lose his shot in the NFL has opened Jarius Wright’s eyes to life in the NFL. The opportunity to play in the National Football League is something that very few individuals achieve in their football careers and having that opportunity last for many years is even more rare.

Wright has learned to appreciate that opportunity and make the most of it at the same time.

"“You do get a better appreciation for things like that, not only him, but for other people not getting the chance to do what you do every day, knowing how bad they would love to do it,” Wright said. “Especially having a friend that went down on such a tragic injury and was never really able to bounce back and never actually played in a game and never fully got to live out his dream.”"

Regarding Greg Childs, Jarius Wright isn’t sure what the future holds for him. However, Wright knows that stepping on the dreams of anyone isn’t the right thing to do. Here is what he answered when talking about Greg Childs and whether or not the often injured wide receiver should give up the game:

"“Sometimes you want to say it, but at the same time you know his dreams and you know what he wants to get (accomplished) and you don’t want to break somebody’s dreams,” Wright said. “He felt like he could still do it, so I didn’t want to tell him he couldn’t.”"

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Greg Childs, but for now Minnesota Vikings fans can look forward to seeing Jarius Wright during the 2015 season. He’ll be on display during the Vikings/Steelers Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Sunday, August 9, 2015, airing on NBC. Check your local listings for time and availability.

Next: Minnesota Vikings 2015 Game By Game Previews

Jarius Wright ‘carries the torch’ for Greg Childs and Arkansas

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