But for Telfer, amid all the struggles, he believes he’s found the secret to his happiness and the best anodyne for self-healing when things might appear to be at their toughest. It’s called “Give Back Tuesday” — Telfer’s weekly ritual of spending his one off day during the season doing something for his community.
It might involve visiting kids at a school or a hospital. It has included ride-alongs with police officers as a way of understanding their roles and helping bridge the gap, especially amid tensions in the African-American community. Telfer also sat in on the NFL’s meetings about race relations, the anthem protests and the movement started by Colin Kaepernick.