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XFL San Antonio Brahmas

Brahmas All-XFL Linebacker Jordan Williams Shows off Another Talent with San Antonio Mural

May 12, 2023 - XFL (XFL)
San Antonio Brahmas News Release


San Antonio Brahmas linebacker Jordan Williams painted the city of San Antonio red this season with his stellar play throughout the regular season.

This week, Williams painted the host city of Saturday's XFL Championship game red again - but also black, yellow, green and all sorts of other colors. Thanks to a collaboration with the local nonprofit Centro San Antonio and their Art Everywhere initiative, the All-XFL linebacker spent a few days this week painting a mural on the side of Maddy McMurphy's Irish Sports Bar in downtown San Antonio.

"This idea of having Jordan come in do his magic as an artist, but also kind of connect the Brahmas to our city was just really beautiful," said Andi Rodriguez, Centro San Antonio's vice president of cultural placemaking who leads the Art Everywhere initiative.

Williams says his journey as an artist began in childhood when his mother taught him how to color. He didn't really get serious about it until his final year at Baylor when he needed an elective and took an art class.

He fell in love with the technique, craftsmanship and process of art in the class. Williams said it's similar to football, where there's so much focus on the process that leads to the rewards at the end.

During the season, Williams worked on some projects, including painting a picture for Brahmas head coach Hines Ward - who was so honored he kept it in his office - and some cleats.

But this project was different.

"This one was really big in fact of just the opportunity to become a registered artist within San Antonio, to be able to give back and start a culture for the Brahmas," Williams said.

Rodriguez said the Brahmas reached out to the city's Department of Arts and Culture, which connected the team with Centro San Antonio about finding a mural for Williams to paint. The organization worked quickly to find a place that would be a great fit.

They found that at Maddy McMurphy's, described by Rodriguez as "probably one of the most popular sports bars downtown." It is in a prime location, a block or so away from the Alamo and the Riverwalk.

Williams' design took about three days to plan out. He wanted to touch on different parts of San Antonio, but also the bar's Irish theme, the Brahmas and a "sneak peek" of himself in the corner.

"I was nervous because I never want to do anything that's bad but once I started going, it just started flowing," Williams said. "It didn't take me too long to really get in the groove. Once that happened, I was just rolling."

Williams had two special assistants for the project in a pair of Brahmas season ticket holders, 12-year-old Matthew and 10-year-old Max Suarez.

The two are San Antonio natives who love sports and art. Their mother, Stephanie Suarez, has been looking for ways for her children to engage within the community. She told her friend, Rodriguez, they would be interested in helping with the murals.

When Rodriguez asked her one day if Matthew could help a Brahmas player with a mural, she immediately asked if Max could join as well.

She kept it a secret from Matthew and Max on the off chance something fell through. That meant when she took her boys out of school early Monday and brought them to a local Starbucks to change, they were confused. But when Stephanie told them they would be working on a mural with Jordan Williams, their eyes got big.

Williams welcomed his partners with open arms - and they were a major help to the project. Rodriguez and Suarez noted how patient and kind he was to the young helpers.

"How engaging Jordan was and how comfortable he made them feel," Stephanie Suarez said. "The environment, the energy and the vibe was just so positive and good."

"The joy in Jordan space's, he radiates a goodness and a positivity," Rodriguez added.

Williams said he treasured those moments as a child when he got to interact with professional athletes and people of stature. Those moments stuck with him and continue to do so. With Max and Matthew, he wanted to make the experience as cool for them as possible in the hopes their day would stick with them, too.

Suarez thinks that is going to be the case. She highlighted Williams as a positive male role model for her sons as an athlete and as someone who pushes himself in interests outside of football.

When her sons look back on this day, Suarez said she believes they will remember it as a seminal moment of their childhood.

"It's cute because I asked my younger son, I'm like, 'What did you think about that?'" Suarez said. "He was like, 'It was like a dream come true.'"

Williams returned to the mural Tuesday to continue working but was slowed down by intermittent rainstorms throughout the day. That pushed his work to a third day Wednesday, and he didn't finish until about 10 p.m. Saturday.

The Brahmas made their mark on the San Antonio community through their first season in the XFL. Through Williams, there's now a physical landmark for fans to come back to as they wait for the 2024 season to kick off next year.

"I want them to feel my personality within that painting," Williams said. "It's all in the eye of the beholder. Some people will perceive it a lot differently than others will. I just really want it to be eye catching, worth a picture."

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