Chris Culliver to host Cully’s Camp in Garner on July 23

Garner graduate and NFL football player Chris Culliver will take a break from his recovery from a serious knee injury to do something he’s always wanted to do in his hometown: host a free youth football clinic.

Cully’s Camp, hosted by the Chris Culliver Foundation, will be held on Saturday, July 23, at Thompson Field (500 Thompson Road) in Garner.

“He’s excited come back home and give something back to the kids in the community,” said Antone Barnes, Culliver’s agent from The Brand Architects. “This is something he’s wanted to do for a few years and we’re excited to be able to put it together this summer.”

The free agent cornerback played at the University of South Carolina after graduating from Garner in 2007 and before being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers and playing in a Super Bowl.

The event, which runs from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. is open to ages 6-18. Participants will run through a wide range of non-contact football agility drills, be treated to lunch, get a free camp T-shirt, receive an autograph from Chris and a photo. Chick-fil-a and BodyArmor — event sponsors — will provide the campers with food and drinks.

Registration is open at www.cullyscamp.info or can be done beginning at 8 a.m. the day of the camp. Additional information on the camp can be obtained by contacting Barnes at abarnes@thebrandarchitects.biz.

It will be the beginning of a potentially very busy preseason period for the Garner High grad.

The Washington Redskins released Culliver after the team drafted Kendall Fuller in April and signed free agent cornerback Josh Norman. He had signed a four-year deal worth as much as $32 million before last season with the Redskins.

Barnes said several NFL teams expressing an interest in signing him possibly as soon as training camps open later this month have contacted Culliver. But a later signing is more likely with the knee injury — a torn MCL and ACL — coming on Thanksgiving last year and rehab expected to take roughly 10 months to make a complete recovery.

“It’s not something he’s going to push,” Barnes said of Culliver’s decision or a signing. “Because right now, rehabbing the knee injury is his top priority. He’s not going to push it unless its 100 percent. There are teams that want him, for sure.”

This story was originally published July 10, 2016 at 11:11 PM with the headline "Chris Culliver to host Cully’s Camp in Garner on July 23."