His parents expected him to work hard, show respect and always be a man of his word, and Ikemefuna Enemkpali tried to uphold their teachings, partly rooted in their Nigerian upbringing, as he rose from high school football star to budding linebacker with the Jets.
At an instructional camp back home in Pflugerville, Tex., he made certain to teach boys not just the fundamentals of football but the reality of players who flamed out and the importance of being a upstanding citizen.
He recruited several high school and college teammates as counselors for the camp, including some who play in the N.