Throughout his career as both a collegiate and now NFL standout, Thibodaux native Amik Robertson has gone out of his way to represent the city he calls home.

This past weekend while Robertson was giving back to our area’s youth, the city he loves so dearly gave back to him with a token of appreciation for his successes.

As Robertson was hosting his 2nd Annual Football Kids Camp, Thibodaux City Councilman Varick C. Taylor Sr., arrived to award Robertson with the Keys to the City of Thibodaux.

The campers applauded as their mentor was honored.

Robertson, a defensive back with the Detroit Lions choked back tears and was filled with emotion as he was recognized.

“To my city, I thank you for trust me with the keys,” Robertson said. “God is great. This is truly an honor and I will continue doing my part as long as I am breathing.”

“This is one of the things that was very high on my agenda,” Councilman Taylor said. “Because it was long overdue and he most definitely deserves it.”

Robertson earned the keys to the city after another successful camp to give back to the youth.

Since becoming a professional athlete, Robertson has always gone out of his way to give back to the youth of our area, first volunteering his time at other camps in our area before launching his own.

This was his 2nd camp of what he says will now be an annual event with dozens of campers turning out to learn from Robertson and a team of volunteer coaches who also were on hand to better our youth.

Robertson is a Thibodaux High School legend — a future Athletic Hall of Fame inductee at the school. He had a dominant career in purple and gold before doing the same at Louisiana Tech, a career which landed Robertson in the NFL where he has now played for 5 seasons with his 6th season set to begin this fall.

Taylor said that Robertson is a role model for our youth and is a shining example that great things can happen to people who work hard to achieve their goals. The Thibodaux Councilman said the local NFL product is also as good off the field as he is on it and has a passion for our area that burns bright.

“Amik has exhibited remarkable dedication and determination to give back to his community,” Taylor said. “And for that, we thank you my brother. So I say to Amik, continue to make us proud and I can’t wait to see you on TV on Sundays this fall.”

At the camp, Robertson coached tirelessly — working hard to make sure that each child who attended the camp left it a better player with the knowledge of an NFL player engrained into their minds.

He worked with the players on fundamentals and technique, working hard to instill into them that a hard worker with little talent can easily beat a highly talented player who hardly works.

Robertson is the case study of exactly that — a player who has been doubted at every level because of his lack of size but who has continued to persevere.

Last season, he became the Lions’ top cornerback by the time the season ended and 50 tackles and 8 pass deflections for a team that was in strong contention for a Super Bowl.

Robertson said the entire weekend and all of the support he received is a blessing and he will always be proud of his roots in our area.

“You would have had to walk in my shoes to understand,” he said when asked of the honor to give back. “You would have to have known what I went through and overcame. This was never the plan. Everything I’ve done was just me doing my part and it’s from the heart. … I want to give a huge thank you to my friends, family, sponsors and everyone else involved in making this a successful event. Let’s keep going.”