‘I am Newport News’: Super Bowl champion Antoine Bethea gives back to the city he calls home

Antoine Bethea might not have been born in Newport News, but it’s certainly his home. The Super Bowl champion was born in Savannah, Georgia, but as a child in a military family, he spent time moving around the world before ultimately planting his roots in Newport News.

Bethea spent his formative years at Fort Eustis and attended Denbigh High School, a place that he found second parental figures in the school’s teachers that he can still list to this day.

“I feel like those are like definitely my most formative days as a person,” Bethea said. “You learn a lot about yourself, you learn a lot about the people around you, friends, like who was really supportive.”

A multi-sport athlete who received several accolades on the gridiron and hardwood, Bethea made such an impact at Denbigh that he had his jersey retired in October last year.

“I think one of the biggest things was just seeing some of my former classmates and teammates come back for that,” Bethea said. “Obviously, your immediate family is going to always support, your closest friends are going to support you, but when I showed up and saw that my former classmates brought their husbands or wives, that’s what really matters the most.”

Bethea took his talents to Howard University, where he was a three-year starter who tallied 309 tackles and seven interceptions and was a three-time Black College All-American.

After his time with the Bison, Bethea was a sixth-round draft selection of the Indianapolis Colts in 2006. He enjoyed a 14-year NFL career that saw him win the 2007 Super Bowl during his rookie season and earn three Pro Bowl nods.

Bethea is one of five Denbigh High alums to log a snap in the NFL. He, along with Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, are the only Denbigh alums to win a Super Bowl title.

“I wanted to put on for Denbigh, for Newport News, obviously the name of the back of my jersey and for Howard University,” Bethea said of his pro career. “Really just for the community. They asked where you from, I’m from Newport News, Virginia.”

His career ultimately landed him in the MEAC Hall of Fame in 2015, and in December he was named to the Black College Football Hall of Fame.

While he has created quite the pedigree on the field, Bethea’s career and his life in general have been defined by more than just football.

Giving back

Bethea is no stranger to working in the community. He started the Bethea Family Foundation — formerly known as the Safe Coverage Foundation — in 2010 with his wife, Samantha.

Since its inception, the organization has donated over $500,000 to youth development and impacted over 20,000 kids, according to the foundation’s website.

Bethea’s passion for philanthropy started with the way his parents poured into others, he said, and has continued throughout his playing career and since his retirement.

During his playing days, Bethea was a two-time Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee. He was named the Indianapolis Colts’ Man of the Year in 2013 and the Arizona Cardinals’ Man of the Year in 2018.

“I think those are probably like the most highly touted type of awards that you can get in the NFL,” Bethea said. “You talk about MVPs, you talk about Super Bowls, but when you talk about Walter Payton, that’s you being selfless right. You’re pouring into the people that really, if you look at it in the big scheme of things, can’t do anything for you to affect your life.”

While some who “make it out” of their hometowns never come back, Bethea has placed an emphasis on returning to Newport News and leaving it better than he found it.

“Outside my family, Newport News molded me into the person that I am from the good, the bad, the ugly,” Bethea said. “I feel I am Newport News. Just given the platform that I was fortunate to have, I just feel like it’s my duty to be able to give back. So the youngsters can see me, they can touch me, they can feel me and say like ‘OK, he walked these same streets, walked the same halls of these elementary, middle schools and high schools.’ … I made it out of Newport News and you can make it too.”

Bethea’s outreach efforts in Newport News have ranged from the usual coat drives, Thanksgiving turkey giveaways and Christmas toy drives to helping families avoid eviction during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also established the Bethea Family Foundation Scholarship, which is awarded to two Newport News Public School District high school seniors each year. In 2020, Bethea helped renovate the outdoor basketball court behind the Denbigh Community Center.

Searching for a lasting impact

A lot of those aforementioned examples of charity are one-off events, but Bethea has been searching for ways to help Newport News that felt more concrete.

“All of those things are great, right? But the way I think about it is OK, you have that day you, walk away from it and we don’t do anything again till next year at the same time,” Bethea said. “So I always was thinking like, ‘Well, what can I do to really, really have an impact, like a lasting impact?’ ”

That’s where the SafeHaven Empowerment Center comes in.

In December 2023, the City of Newport News voted unanimously to approve a partnership between the city and the Bethea Family Foundation to establish a community center on Thorncliff Drive.

The building — a former Boys and Girls Club — was acquired by the city late last year, according to a release. Plans are underway to spend more than $1 million for much needed repairs and improvements to the building and the goal is for the center to open by late summer.

The inspiration for a community center came from Bethea’s own childhood experience, one where he spent many hours in community and youth centers at Fort Eustis and in Newport News.

“The opportunity presented itself with the city, they were grateful enough to even believe in myself, my vision, my Foundation’s vision,” Bethea said. “I can’t let them down, can’t let myself down. And I just feel like when we get this thing up and running, it’s gonna be something that we look back 10 years from now and be like, ‘Man, like we impacted a lot of lives.’ ”

There will be something for kids of all ages at the SafeHaven Empowerment Center. Plans for the center include technology and computer labs, an eSports room, music studio, culinary kitchen, clothes closet, barber shop and hair salon.

“Just meet the people where they’re at,” Bethea said of his thinking process when it came to the amenities. “So you’re talking about eSports, the kids play video games. Parents say get them off the video games … nah, meet them halfway. So now you can teach them about how you can make the video games. ESports is a billion-dollar industry, so why not tap into that right and let’s start them young.”

The building will also receive “extensive” upgrades, like expanding and combining its two indoor basketball courts and updating the indoor pool. The indoor courts used to play host to Bethea and his Denbigh teammates, who would play pickup games after team practice, making the SafeHaven Empowerment Center that much more special to him.

Outside of the building, Bethea plans to construct an outdoor basketball court and refurbish the current space into a multi-sport field.

“On behalf of the Council, we express heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Bethea for his steadfast commitment of giving back,” Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones said in a city council meeting in December. “His impact is evident in the effort that resulted in the establishment of the beautiful Bethea Basketball court, situated just outside the Denbigh Community Center. We look forward to the continued partnership and Mr. Bethea’s unwavering support for the community that holds a special place in his heart.”

There’s still a lot of work to be done before the SafeHaven Empowerment Center opens this summer, but Bethea is already looking for other ways to give back to the community and is looking forward to the collaborative efforts with the city and other organizations in Newport News.

“I’m a dreamer, I want to dream big,” Bethea said. “That’s what I’m gonna do with the kids and the people that come in here. I’m gonna help them dream big. So I definitely have other plans. This is nothing. Once we get this up and running, it’s not gonna be, ‘OK, we’re done, we’re finished.’ It’s just the beginning.”

Michael Sauls, (757) 803-5774, michael.sauls@viriginiamedia.com