2021 -- S 0894

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2021

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

CONGRATULATING BISHOP HENDRICKEN GRADUATE KWITY PAYE ON BEING

SELECTED BY THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS WITH THE 21ST PICK IN THE FIRST

ROUND OF THE 2021 NFL DRAFT

     Introduced By: Senators McCaffrey, Felag, and Burke

     Date Introduced: May 11, 2021

     Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

     WHEREAS, Few rags to riches stories are as inspirational and heartwarming as the tale

of Kwity Paye, a young man born in a refugee camp in Guinea to Liberian parents who were

escaping war-torn Liberia and the first Liberian Civil War; and

     WHEREAS, Kwity Paye was brought to Rhode Island with his brother Komotay Koffie

by his mother Agnes. As they grew older, his mother signed them up for football at the Boys &

Girls Club and it became a life passion for them both. After middle school, Kwity was accepted

into Bishop Hendricken, but the cost seemed to be beyond the family’s means. However, he

convinced his mother that attending Bishop Hendricken was worth the burden by promising her

that she would not have to pay for him to go to college; and

     WHEREAS, His mother Agnes worked long and arduous hours, sometimes putting in

nearly 24 hour days, to pay for his tuition and Kwity worked tirelessly both in the classroom and

on the field to ensure that his mother’s sacrifice was a worthwhile endeavor. As a defensive

lineman and running back in high school, he was virtually unstoppable, bringing to the gridiron a

combination of size and speed rarely if ever seen in Rhode Island. In recognition of his success on

the field, Kwity was named the Rhode Island Gatorade Player of the Year in 2016; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Paye quickly drew the attention of the leading college football

universities in the country, and chose to play for the storied University of Michigan football

program. While at Michigan, he started four games at defensive end as a sophomore and became

the full-time starter at that position as a junior. Paye was dominant in Big Ten competition as a

junior, finishing the season with 50 tackles, 6.5 sacks and earning Second-Team All-Conference

Big Ten honors. He repeated as a Second-Team All-Conference Big Ten selection in the COVID-

19 shortened 2020 season; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Paye's work ethic is legendary within Rhode Island football circles.

Whether it was practicing on the field, working out in the weight room or giving his all on every

play in a game despite the bruises and pain that come routinely in football, no one has ever

outworked Kwity Paye; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Paye is also a young man of impeccable character always willing to

help out and make a positive difference with the next generation. Coach Willie Edwards, the

former Moses Brown Football Coach and current Assistant Coach at Brown University, first met

Kwity at a youth football camp volunteering to work with elementary-aged kids. Coach Edwards

was amazed to observe the effort and selflessness exhibited by Mr. Paye on that day. From

interacting with the kids and teaching them the basics of football, to picking up the pylons, and

cleaning up the field and making sure the job was done properly, Mr. Paye’s humility,

compassion, and tireless work ethic impressed everyone; and

     WHEREAS, The NFL draft is not just about talent. Anyone taken in the draft, especially

the first round, has talent. What really makes a young man special in the eyes of many NFL

scouts and front office personnel is someone who can combine a high level of God-given talent

with an extraordinary work ethic, and be a quality person all at the same time. Rhode Island-

raised Kwity Paye is exactly this kind of person and that is why he became only the second

Rhode Island high school football player to be chosen in the first round of the NFL draft when he

was selected with the 21st pick in the 2021 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts; now, therefore be

it

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby congratulates Kwity

Paye on being selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft and wishes him continued success

both on and off the gridiron in the future; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Mr. Kwity Paye.

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