Earlier this month, news emerged of a Tetairoa McMillan youth football camp that didn’t involve McMillan. Or, ultimately, a camp.
It was clear from the reporting that the company that set up the event, FlexWorks Sports Management, bungled it. On Friday, McMillan was asked about the situation during his first 2026 training camp visit with the media.
“I don’t want anybody to think that I don’t like kids or anything like that,” McMillan told reporters. “You know, I love the kids. Obviously, you know, they’re the next generation. So, [I] try to give back as much as possible. But, yeah, I don’t know where that came from. I never committed to that. . . . I look forward to seeing all the kids that expected me to be at that camp either at a game or come out to a practice, or, you know, just so I can make up for it.”
How did the miscommunication happen regarding the camp?
“I have no idea,” McMillan said. “I wish I knew.”
While it seemed at first that McMillan may have been offering to provide game tickets to the kids who had signed up for the camp that never happened, it’s not clear whether that’s the case.
“You know, obviously, there’s a lot of people that wait for us [at] practice either before practice or after practice,” McMillan said. “So, you know, just stop by or, you know, just come to a game. Fill up the Bank of America Stadium, do whatever you can, just to give back.”
McMillan should be pissed. Even if he never committed to the youth camp, FlexWorks damaged his reputation and brand. Even if he has a perfectly valid explanation (and he apparently does), the fact that someone else put him in a position where he had to explain himself should have him asking pointed questions and demanding clear answers from the company that misled young fans and their families to believe he’d be participating in the camp.
