Native American HS football players to showcase skills at 'Indigenous Bowl'

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Vikings will be on the road this weekend taking on the Detroit Lions in the Motor City, but there will still be an important football game at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday.

The Indigenous Bowl is usually played in southern California. This year, it will be in downtown Minneapolis because of a new partnership with the NFL and the Minnesota Vikings.

The fourth Indigenous Bowl will be held at 10 a.m. Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium. Admission is free.

As a defensive back at Shakopee High School, Lennox Lasley is the only Native American on the football team. But now he is taking the field with other players who look like him.

"Man, it's something. I got people from different reservations out here that I haven't seen since I was a kid. For everyone to come out and embrace each other," said Lasley.

Lasley is one of 54 Native American high school football players from 30 different tribes across the country preparing to play in the Indigenous Bowl.

Organizers say it's a chance for the Indigenous athletes to get some exposure because many are from remote areas where they have a harder time being seen by college scouts.

"There is a pride behind being Native American and for us there's an opportunity for us to acknowledge that we're just as good as anybody else," said Bennae Calac, Executive Director of the 7G Foundation.

Native American football players from all over the country play in the Indigenous Bowl.

The foundation, which started the Indigenous Bowl in 2018, says not only is it an opportunity for Native American athletes to get to know each other; It's also a place for them to strut their stuff on a bigger stage, while developing leadership skills both on and off the field.

"Some of these guys are coming from reservations in rural areas. It's the chance to play at U,S. Bank Stadium. Get seen by a lot of people. Show people what they can do. Hopefully show college coaches what they can do and hopefully get recruited to go to a college they want to go to," said Ernest Briggs, assistant coach of the Minneapolis Roosevelt High School football team, and defensive coordinator for Indigenous Bowl's "purple team."

Lasley hopes the bowl will be a showcase for his athletic talents, but he says just being a part of the experience is the real win.

"I want to ride this out to see where it takes me because I believe sports takes you places," said Lasley.

The Indigenous Bowl will take place at 10 a.m. Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium. The game is free and open to the public. It will also be streamed here.