GREEN BAY, Wis. – Kenny Clark walked into Lambeau Field for the first time on Thursday. The Green Bay Packers' first-round pick imagined a day when his dad can do the same thing.
Clark, the 27th overall pick in the NFL draft, spent his first 24 hours with the Packers trying to figure out where the weight room is, how to get to the dining hall and admiring his locker – which he said he just stared at in awe for two minutes straight.
And, of course, he planned to tell his father, Kenny Sr., all about it.
After his first practice on Friday at rookie orientation camp, the younger Clark spoke at length about his father, who has been imprisoned in California since 2005 for second-degree murder – a crime the family insists he did not commit.
The Clark family tale was chronicled before the draft by ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura and Mark Fainaru-Wada. Part one of the happy ending came to fruition when the Packers drafted Kenny Jr. last week. Part two will be the day that Kenny Sr. is freed and can see his son play football in person for the first time since he was a 9-year-old.
“Yeah, it would be great man,” Kenny Jr. said Friday. “It would be a great feeling. We're hoping that day comes. I'll be extremely happy when that day comes.”
Until then, they’ll have to share moments like they did almost immediately after the Packers made the UCLA defensive tackle their first-round pick.
“After I got drafted, he called just crying,” Kenny Jr. said of his father. “He was so excited. He was just so happy for his kid. It was a good moment for my whole family that was there.”
Clark, who won’t turn 21 until October, has displayed a maturity beyond his years – something he credited to both his mother, Nicole, and his father, who remain together.
“I was raised the right way,” he said. “Got a lot of whuppings growing up. My mom kept me in line. My dad kept me in line. We just kept going and me fighting, and trying not to worry about [things] and worrying about the main thing, which is football.”
Clark did not want to discuss the details of his father’s appeal, only to say “there’s still hope.” While at UCLA, Clark’s coaches kept in regular contact with his father, who wanted to be kept abreast of his son’s development both on the field and off it.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy liked what he saw from Clark during Friday's 90-minute workout.
"I would definitely say his tempo, tenacity and the fact of his background of balance," McCarthy said. "I think you saw that today just in some of the drill work that I saw. I think he’s a guy that has excellent balance, always staying with his feet. I think that was something that was very evident on the video."
Family and football go hand in hand with Clark, whose mother had the final word before he got on the plane to fly to Green Bay on Thursday.
"She sent me a long text before I got on the plane,” he said. “She was so excited for me to be here. When I got drafted, that's all she could do was cry. That was a wonderful feeling for my family. All my family is excited.”