Whitney Mercilus / JMG Magazine

Whitney Mercilus

No Merci, Baby! Whitney Mercilus Ends a Great Season with the Texans

by Jacquari Harris
| January 31, 2017 7:51 pm CST

Whitney Mercilus has stepped up his game this past year, and I don’t mean just on the football field as the powerful outside linebacker for the Houston Texans. In 2016, Mercilus launched his WithMerci Foundation, which offers financial support and other opportunities to families of children with special needs and disabilities.

I caught up with Mercilus before he headed to the playoffs with the Texans to discuss his foundation and Super Bowl ambitions.

JMG: How long have you been developing your foundation, WithMerci?
Whitney Mercilus: I started in 2016 and I’ve gotten to this point through a lot of life experiences. What I mean by that is what I studied in college – community health, disability and rehabilitation, which started my love for it.
Since I’ve been in the NFL, I’ve visited a lot of kids in children’s hospitals. Just seeing what they go through on a daily basis and seeing the families in there. I’m thankful for guys of our status, such as athletes, just coming in and giving their moral support and things of that nature. It’s shining a little light in their lives. Another thing that stems from that is my family has roots from being in the medical field. My parents worked in nursing homes as nursing assistants helping elderly folks; those who aren’t able to care for themselves as much. Also, my sister is in medical school right now doing breast cancer research. So a lot of those life experiences have impacted me in a way, which is why I wanted to come up with this foundation and to find something that I’m really passionate about.

So are you the sole proprietor for the foundation or do you have some of your fellow players or partners working with you on the foundation?
No, I’m the sole proprietor, but I do have a board that helps me run everything.

Where do you see the foundation going from here, maybe national?
That’s my dream to have it go national, regional, everything. I want to bring WithMerci support to underprivileged families with kids with disabilities. I want to help them afford the cost of medical bills, medical equipment and things of that nature. In about five years, we do see WithMerci growing exponentially.

How would you rate your performance this season?
I think my performance has been pretty solid this season, honestly. It could be a whole lot better. I am my own worst critic, so I see myself in places where I could have done better, made more plays. Overall, I think my season has been going pretty great so far.

What are your thoughts on Houston not only hosting the Super Bowl, but possibly playing in it as well?
Man. I think it would be super cool for Houston not only to host the Super Bowl, but the Houston Texans being able to play in the Super Bowl as well.

What are your thoughts on our city hosting the big game? Do you think we’re ready?
I think so. We got a taste of it in 2004. I think Houston is better prepared. Everybody in the city knows exactly what to expect and can handle it much better than in 2004.