‘Emotional’ Javon Kinlaw, who experienced homelessness as a child, breaks down in tears while reflecting on his journey

Jets' Javon Kinlaw broke into tears while talking about his journey from homelessness to an NFL defensive tackle.

‘Emotional’ Javon Kinlaw, who experienced homelessness as a child, breaks down in tears while reflecting on his journey

Javon Kinlaw breaks down in tears (Via NY Daily News/X)

Javon Kinlaw exemplifies how resilience and determination can overcome any obstacle, even if it is a troubled childhood without a roof over one’s head. From there to an NFL defensive back, Kinlaw has truly come a long way. 

During a New York Jets press conference, the defensive player opened up about his journey that brought him where he stands today. While talking on the subject, he paused for a few seconds and was spotted wiping his tears away, standing behind the podium.

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I've been through a lot, bro. That’s all I can really say, but I never gave up. A lot of people would've [given] up, but I never gave up.
Javon Kinlaw said while breaking down in tears

Fighting through the scarcity of basic needs and a shelter to reside, the defensive tackle paved his way to the league. After graduating from South Carolina, Kinlaw got drafted in the very first round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. After spending four seasons with them, including making a run for the Super Bowl last season, he was acquired by the Jets this offseason. 

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How Javon Kinlaw rose above adversity?

At the toddler age of two, Kinlaw migrated all the way from Trinidad and Tobago to the United States in 1998, with his family of a single mother and three brothers. It wasn’t easy leaving everything behind but for the sake of a better future, his mother settled in Washington, D.C. at the beginning, before moving to Mississippi followed by South Carolina.

We had gas, a gas stove. We would light the stove with a little match or something, get a tall pot, boil the water, mix it with some cold water, put it in a bucket, take it upstairs, take a shower like that.
Javon Kinlaw told ESPN about his days living in Washington, D.C.
Javon Kinlaw 49ers Cowboys
Javon Kinlaw (Credits: Imago)

As they didn’t have a home, the Kinlaw family was often taken in by the friends of his mother. But then too, they had to adjust to basements without any facilities or basic needs such as electricity and running water. 

Later in life, when he moved in with his father after enrolling in North Charleston High, things didn’t get any easier even though he got a roof over his head. Eventually, he started living with his friends and made football his only priority and his resilience to rise above his childhood trauma made him what he is today.

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