HAMPTON, Va. — Tyrod Taylor is no stranger to the ups and downs life throws at you. He'll admit, it hasn't always been easy.
"I've been through a bunch professionally as well as just in my walk of life."
He's been a Pro Bowler and starter in the playoffs and on the flip side, he's been benched and traded. The former Hokie and Hampton Crabber is in his 13th season in the league playing for his sixth team in the New York Giants as a second-string quarterback behind Daniel Jones.
"Year 13. When you say that it goes by fast," he said.
It comes with the job of being a professional athlete, but there's an element to that job that is often forgotten: prioritizing mental health.
"I think having the right mental space and the right support and the right conversations with the right people has helped me achieve and overcome a lot of those things," said Taylor.
One of those obstacles includes being benched by the Buffalo Bills during a playoff push earlier in his career. He's since admitted that if he wasn't in the right headspace during the time, it would have broken him. Now, he's making sure that the youth of Hampton Roads are prepared mentally for any challenges that come their way.
It's just one goal of the Tyrod Taylor Foundation, which held its 3rd annual community day on Saturday at the Boys and Girls Club he grew up going to.
"To have it here at the Tyrod Taylor Wellness Center, the Boys and Girls Club, walking distance from where I grew up means a lot."
Taylor's Wellness Center is the newest edition to the Boys and Girls Club of the Virginia Peninsula which promotes those areas of well-being that are often ignored.
"From the Tyrod Taylor Foundation perspective if we can offer or shed a different light on a different topic which is the wellness side whether it's mental health or just health awareness, that means a lot to me," said Taylor.
CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of the Virginia Peninsula Hal Smith says the wellness center, which just opened in March, says it will provide a safe space for kids to have real conversations and process their emotions.
"Being able to have a clear head and deal with the mental stress and having a place to unwind that's what this wellness center is all about."
So we've tackled mental health, but Taylor is also setting an example that part of the job of being a professional athlete is giving back, whether kids know who you are or not!
"Some of the kids ask me if I still play in the NFL, or if I play basketball. Some of the kids don't know but as long as they're having fun and enjoying themselves that's what warms my heart."