A glimpse into Panthers players’ Thanksgiving traditions: Chitlins, grandma’s house, love
Ask Jadeveon Clowney about Thanksgiving — his favorite holiday — and one of the most formidable pass rushers over the past decade will smile like he was a kid again.
“What comes to mind is just my grandparents,” Clowney said. “My granddad cooked for the whole family growing up. And every Thanksgiving, there was just a whole lot of food at his house. The whole family would be in there.”
Clowney came from a big family in Rock Hill, South Carolina, just south of the Carolinas border, 30 minutes down I-77 from Charlotte. Him signing with the Carolina Panthers this offseason marked a “homecoming” for the veteran who, not all that long ago, was bringing a national spotlight to South Pointe High School and crushing the helmets off of players at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.
Every Thanksgiving, he’s transported back to a simpler time and place, he said — back when the toughest decision was how to pack all of his favorite food onto one plate.
“What I like to eat the most?” Clowney said. “Oh my God, I can’t pick out one thing. I love dressing. I love the rice and gravy. I love the turkey. Collard greens be hitting, too. Pretty much everything. I love Thanksgiving.”
On Thursday, with Clowney being so close to home, the 31-year-old star will run that childhood tradition back. He’ll just be the one hosting, he said.
“Since I’m here this year, they’ll all be at my house,” he said. “They’ll probably be a lot of people, for sure.”
Clowney isn’t the only one with such excitement for Thanksgiving. He’s also not alone with having special traditions. Panthers defensive linemen and North Carolina native Shy Tuttle hands out Turkeys every year. The whole team, including team owners David and Nicole Tepper, cooked Thanksgiving dinner last year for a charity event spearheaded by Bradley Bozeman.
Here’s a glimpse into the Thanksgiving traditions of several other Carolina Panthers players and coaches. The team plays at home at 4:05 p.m. Sunday, a few days after the holiday.
Trevin Wallace’s favorite Thanksgiving dish
It’s no secret Thanksgiving is the holiday most closely associated with football. The best high school teams in the state practice on Thanksgiving every year as they prepare for another deep playoff run. College teams ready for bowl eligibility. Pro teams begin down the final stretch.
Rookie linebacker Trevin Wallace hasn’t yet lived through a Thanksgiving of life in the NFL. But he’s excited for it, surely. His favorite memories include spending time with family, obviously — and not having to wake up early to work at McDonald’s, his childhood job.
“Just being around family,” Wallace said. “Obviously I’m around family every day, but that’s a time when all family comes from hours away and we all come together.”
Oh, and something about the meal.
“We eat chitlins,” Wallace said, smiling. “So that’s probably one unique thing. People might think, ‘Uh chitlins nasty.’ But that’s one thing we eat every Thanksgiving.”
Adam Thielen is an old pro at NFL Thanksgivings
Veterans like Adam Thielen have been a pro at balancing Thanksgiving and football for a long time. Here’s what the 34-year-old receiver said about his life in the NFL and Thanksgiving.
“It’s a busy time for me still,” he said. “In years past, we’ve played on Thanksgiving Day, and then you have the weekend to spend it with family. But on a normal week, you just kind of have your afternoon with the family, and try to have a good meal, and that’s it.”
Offensive coordinator Brad Idzik finds normalcy in whirlwind NFL career on Thanksgiving
Brad Idzik, the Panthers’ offensive coordinator, has been on a crazy ride the last few years. The 33-year-old coach detailed what he’s thankful for ahead of the Thursday holiday.
“We all know as coaches, your family makes a lot of sacrifices when you’re spending a lot of time in the building,” Idzik said. “At the same token, you spend time with good people in this building. It’s not like coming to work everyday. You get to know all the quirks that everybody has in the building, and then when you go back home, you bring some of those home, and they feel like they get to know them too. So I’m really thankful that those two worlds get to mesh.”
He added: “My wife, Emily, we met in Seattle, and two years later, we’re now on our third team. So in the span of dating, to being engaged, to getting married, we’ve been in three different places. She’s already moved twice in the span of less than a year. ... It just feels like two separate families that come together.”
Johnny Hekker has a pie recipe he’ll send to you
The Panthers’ punter has several favorite Thanksgiving dishes. He loves stuffing, “or dressing, whichever one.” Loves green bean casserole with the crispy onions on top. His mother makes his favorite Thanksgiving dish, though.
“My mom makes something called a Frosty Pumpkin Pie,” Hekker said. “It’s essentially a mix between an ice cream cake and pumpkin pie. It’s delicious. I’ll send you the recipe if you need it. It’s pretty easy to make.”
Jaycee Horn had an NFL dad, so grandma’s house was the spot
Jaycee Horn’s father, Joe, is known as one of the best receivers in NFC South history and one of the game’s greatest showmen. But while he was often out on the road on Thanksgiving, Horn was usually schlepped to his grandparents’ house in Mississippi.
“So I was getting some good food,” Horn said. “It’s almost the same as everybody else, around a bunch of family, eating. They’re playing cards, talking a lot of junk.”
The Horns? Talking trash? No way!
“It was a good time,” Jaycee said.
His favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal?
“I’m actually not a turkey, dressing person. I like fried chicken, macaroni, collard greens, some bread, I’m good.”
This story was originally published November 27, 2024 at 5:30 AM.
