Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Benjamin Morrison spent Tuesday morning at the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature in Bradenton, reading to third-graders from Myakka Elementary School. The visit came through the Buccaneers’ Tackling Reading initiative, the team’s effort to boost childhood literacy across the Suncoast. Before the event wrapped, each student got to pick out a book from the ELC book bus.
Morrison admitted he was more nervous reading to the kids than playing in an NFL game, a line that got a laugh but says plenty about how much the visit meant to him. He said his mother was a teacher when he was growing up, which made the moment feel personal. Students Sebastian, Gerika and Emma were among the kids hanging on every page.
His message to the room was straightforward: reading is cool, and it doesn’t always have to happen on your phone or through social media. It’s a small reminder that the Suncoast is more than beaches, red tide alerts and hurricane prep. It’s a community of readers, and moments like this one are how that tradition gets passed down.
What book are you reading right now, or recommending to the kids in your life? Tell us in the comments.
