Madieu Williams on NBC

The name Madieu Williams is sweet music to Sierra Leoneans at home and abroad. He represents or symbolises all that is good about Sierra Leone and Sierra Leoneans.

The Minnesota Vikings Safety will appear in a feature story this evening on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, according to a press release from his Foundation. Williams, founder of the Madieu Williams Foundation, a seven-year veteran of the National Football League, and graduate of the University of Maryland, will be sharing his experiences during a recent mission trip to his homeland of Sierra Leone. On his trip to Sierra Leone earlier this summer, Williams joined a team of teachers, doctors and other volunteers who visited the Abigail D. Butscher Primary School in Calabatown. The school was founded in 2008 by Williams in dedication to his mother. The purpose of the trip was to bring medicine, medical supplies and educational resources to an area which is greatly in need of help. The Madieu Williams Foundation was able to donate over $500,000 in supplies, while the medical team performed more than 230 dental procedures, in addition to many surgeries and minor procedures. Throughout the NFL, Williams is known as a major philanthropic figure, from his generous donations of more than $2 million to the University of Maryland to create the ‘Madieu Williams Center for Global Health Initiatives,’ to his work with at-risk youth in his hometown in Maryland, Minneapolis and in Cincinnati, where he spent four seasons after being drafted by the Bengals. “I live my life based around the question: ‘Would the child that you were, respect the person that you have become?’ To me, that says it all and it propels me to do more, because I can,”said Williams, who also hosts a free football clinic for kids each spring as part of the foundation’s weekend-long fundraising efforts that are held in Washington D.C. Madieu Mohammed Williams , born October 18, 1981 in Freetown, Sierra Leone, is an American football safety for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Maryland. He moved to Lanham, Maryland at age nine, went to DuVal High School in Lanham, Maryland, attended Towson University and the University of Maryland. After being drafted in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, Williams contributed early by playing in all 16 games. He finished the season with 103 tackles, 11 pass deflections, two sacks, and three interceptions. He returned one of the interceptions for a touchdown. In 2005, Williams only played in 4 games, missing the other 12 due to injury. He did, however, record 23 tackles and an interception. In 2006, Williams returned to play all 16 games of the season. He finished the season with 90 tackles, 13 pass break-ups, two forced fumbles, and three interceptions. In 2007, injuries again caused Williams to miss three games of the season. He finished up the season with 74 tackles, 7 pass deflections, two sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and two interceptions. He opened up the season with 10 tackles in the Monday Night Football opener against the Baltimore Ravens. After spending his first four years with Cincinnati, Williams signed with Minnesota following the 2007 season. He agreed to a six-year, $33 million contract. He missed the first 7 games of the 2008 season due to a neck injury he suffered during training camp. In his first game back he intercepted Sage Rosenfels to wrap up the win for the Vikings. He finished the 2008 season with 42 tackles and 2 interceptions. Madieu trains with an athletic group known as The Stable, to whom he has credited his success stemming from his freshman year in high school. ‘‘This is home, and I feel good when I’m working out,” said Williams, who’s headed into his fourth season. ‘‘It’s a lot of guys that put in a lot of work getting ready for whatever sport that they play. It’s a lot of camaraderie beyond us training." Community service The Madieu Williams Foundation, founded in 2005, focuses on health, wellness, nutrition, fitness and education. Through his foundation, Madieu reaches out to youth and teaches them at an early age the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Recently, Madieu Williams was honored by Hall of Famer Franco Harris and Harris’ company, R Super Foods, as their Cincinnati Super MVP.