Second-year safety, Markquese Bell of the Dallas Cowboys was named the NFL’s HBCU Spotlight Player of the Year on the day before the Super Bowl.
The former Florida A&M football player expressed gratitude after being named the NFL HBCU Spotlight Player of the Year for the 2023 season in an interview with The Famuan, the school’s student newspaper. It’s monumental to see it magnified and politicized during the Super Bowl. “It’s humbling to be mentioned alongside Russell Wilson and Prime Time Deion Sanders, who have stood on this platform.”
Bell joined the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent out of Florida A&M following the 2022 NFL Draft. According to Sports Illustrated, he made the Cowboys’ 53-man roster in his debut year but only began contributing to the defense in his second season. He started 12 of 17 games and had 94 total tackles, following only linebacker Damone Clark. He also had two forced fumbles and four passes defensed.
The journal predicted that if Bell continues to improve, he will soon join the limited club of popular professional players on his team who are from HBCUs, which includes fellow Florida A&M alum Bob Hayes and Tennessee State’s Ed “Too Tall” Jones.
With this in mind, the 25-year-old athlete expressed his desire to improve himself, adding, “I know that I need to work exceptionally hard during this off-season to condition my body to prepare for the daily grind as a professional football player. I am very thrilled to work with my coaches and colleagues this offseason to improve my craft and add new items to my tool belt.”
“I do realize God has placed upon me to lead and be an example for many, and for that matter, I have accepted my calling to be intentional in the most positive way that I know as to the lives I affect from those watching me,” Bell told the crowd.
According to the Tallahassee Democrat, Bell, an honorable and proud Rattler, feels obligated to give back by stepping out in support of his HBCU “FAMULY.” Bell founded the Bell Cares Foundation to help students and his own company, Gramma Hands, LLC. He explained that he wished to honor his grandmother’s legacy via kindness.
“I have been very successful and blessed being able to support and provide youth camps that strike out gang violence, mental health awareness, and health and wellness clinics for youths through my foundation and business,” Bell went on to say.