Raiders running back scores often by giving back to community

The smiles. They still get to Alexander Mattison. Still define all the good he is doing.

“It’s something that keeps me going and makes everything worth it,” he said. “To have the opportunity and platform to continue to do things like putting smiles on faces is not something I take lightly.”

The Raiders running back was speaking Thursday at an event for his I Am Gifted foundation, a day when five local teenagers from the Agassi Boys & Girls Club were given a shopping spree at Culture Kings inside the Forum Shops at Caesars.

The afternoon emphasized the importance of strong mental health and to afford the students needed tools to manage things like stress at the beginning of a new school year.

To help them build confidence.

“The main message is that everyone is born with a gift, and they just have to find theirs and embrace it and use it to shed light into this world,” Mattison said. “I just want these kids to understand — whether it’s in sports or arts or whatever — about being passionate with their gift and to go after it 110 percent.

“Everything I do with my brand is to spread love and positivity in this world. If we can all do that, we can make this world a better place.”

Mattison signed with the Raiders in March after starting 13 games with the Vikings last season. He is a former third-round draft pick in 2019 out of Boise State. He is also an ambassador for suicide prevention.

Thursday debuted Mattison’s 2024 Rush 2 Give Tour, which he will host with various events from August through December.

Examples are gifting tickets to families for Raiders games in September and cancer awareness in October and a Salute to Service in November and The Gift of Giving in December.

“I’m proud we’re doing a lot to impact the kids and being a positive reinforcement and affirmation to let them know they’re our future,” Pearl Mattison, Alexander’s mother, said. “They are not alone. They need to know to always talk to someone they trust, to not hold things inside.

“Mental health is an issue with all ages, and an open form of communication is always positive.”

Alexander often talks openly about his own challenges with mental health while in college.

“Everything I do, everything I stand for, ties back into positive mental health with my foundation,” he said.

Tiana was one of those students selected to take part in Thursday’s event.

Mattison “is showing us what we can do to inspire others and have an awakening about the world we live in,” she said. “It’s amazing to be here and to learn from him and to see him as an example for us. It’s inspiring.”

Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.