Michael Phelps teaches the Baltimore Ravens how to swim
Michael Phelps teaches the Baltimore Ravens how to swim.
Michael Phelps gave the Baltimore Ravens a swimming lesson at their facility after several players revealed "one in three Ravens can't swim"
Phelps brought along his own childhood swim instructor, Miss Cathy, to help teach the NFL players about water safety
The Ravens donated $100,000 to Phelps' foundation after he hosted the swim lesson
Michael Phelps followed through on his promise to help the Baltimore Ravens learn how to swim.
Just weeks after several Ravens players asked Phelps, 40, in an Instagram video to teach them how to swim — revealing that "one in three Ravens cannot swim" — the 23-time gold medalist hosted a water safety training day in Baltimore.
Phelps taught the Ravens players, as well as 10 children from the Boys & Girls Club, how to swim at the team's facilities on Tuesday, Aug. 12, according to Today.
Phelps started the swim lesson with a pep talk to the players.
"It’s what you do behind closed doors that no one sees that gives you the opportunity to stand out on this field every single week during the season and be great," he said.
The swimming legend enlisted the help of his own childhood swim instructor, Miss Cathy, to help him teach the Ravens how to swim, emphasizing the importance of water safety for adults and children.
"When I first got into the water to swim, Miss Cathy was my teacher, and I didn’t want to put my face under," he shared with the players.
He added, "Yes, me, Michael Phelps, afraid to put my face into the water. But naturally, you overcome those fears based off your confidence and your comfort level in the pool."
The gold medalist advised starting with "baby steps" in the water.
"I know it might sound crazy, but try just blowing bubbles in the water ... become more vulnerable," Phelps suggested, per Today.
Miss Cathy said she was just "hoping that everybody is brave enough to give it a try" and get in the water during the lesson, while Phelps added, "I think that’s something that a lot of people are afraid of."
He added, "instead of being one foot on the boat, one foot on the dock, jump right in. Literally, jump in. Come jump in with me."
One of the players who initially asked Phelps to teach the Ravens how to swim was offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, who spoke to Today during the swim lesson.
"We want our teammates to be able to have that skill," Stanley said. "And, you know, maybe it’ll save someone’s life one day."
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Following the swim lesson, Ravens president Sashi Brown showed the organization's appreciation for Phelps' expertise by making a hefty donation to the Olympian's foundation.
“Your foundation does great things on mental health awareness and also water safety. We're going to donate $100,000 to the Michael Phelps Foundation," Brown said, according to Today.
The players' video asking Phelps to teach them to swim was originally posted on July 29 by cornerback Marlon Humphrey. It quickly caught the eye of Phelps, who replied in the comments, "I got yall!!! Let's do it!!"