Ealy to return to New Madrid for benefit

~ The former NMCC star will sign autographs before heading to New York for the NFL draft

Former Missouri defensive end and New Madrid County Central High School standout Kony Ealy will be holding an autograph signing day in New Madrid, Mo., on May 3 to raise money for the Sierra Jones Charity Fund, an organization founded by Ealy and his family to provide care for the lineman's sister.

Jones, 23, was born with a chromosomal condition that impairs her speech. She communicates through sign language and a limited vocabulary, which includes yelling her baby brother's name when the siblings are reunited after long breaks.

Jones requires professional medical care on a daily basis. Trey Porter, the coordinator of the autograph signing, said that as Jones gets older the medical care costs for her are becoming more expensive.

"They care for her as much as they can, but at a certain point things start to get expensive," Porter said. "This will help relieve some of that money stress and help the family."

Missouri defensive lineman Kony Ealy, a graduate of New Madrid County Central High School, warms up before the Cotton Bowl in January. (Tim Sharp ~ Associated Press)

Tickets for the event, which will be held at 3 Villa Shopping Center, are $10 a person. With that ticket, fans are allowed to get one piece of merchandise signed by Ealy. Signings are limited to one per ticket. There are still 125 tickets left for the event which will be Ealy's last signing before he heads to New York City for the NFL draft, which begins May 8.

"He's moved around his schedule a lot for this," Porter said. "He's literally going to hop on a plane and head to NYC to prepare for the draft after the event, but he wanted to do this first for Sierra."

Ealy and Jones grew up in a rough area of St. Louis until his father, Willie, decided to move the family to Southeast Missouri due to the fact that his father thought he was heading down the wrong path. Ealy found sports to be an alternative to getting in trouble.

At New Madrid County Central, Ealy was a basketball and football star. At the end of his high school career, Ealy was ranked as the No. 3 player in the state of Missouri by Rivals.com and had offers to play Division I collegiate football from schools such as Nebraska and Arkansas.

Ealy turned down other offers to remain in his home state and play for Missouri.

Missouri junior defensive lineman Kony Ealy speaks to the media during an NCAA college football news conference, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014, in Irving, Texas. Missouri takes on Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl on Friday in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade)

In his first season in Columbia, Ealy found himself waiting in the shadow of future Pro-Bowler Aldon Smith.

Ealy also was small for a defensive end at 208 pounds when compared to others he was competing against. The now 6-foot-5, 270-pound end bulked up and earned his spot in the starting lineup before the 2012 season.

In his final season with the Tigers last fall, Ealy racked up 42 tackles, eight sacks and had one interception for a touchdown.

Many expert draft analysts have picked Ealy to be a first-round pick in this year's NFL draft. Multiple draft experts rank Ealy as the No. 2 defensive end on the board, just behind South Carolina's Jadeveon Clowney.

Now that Ealy is headed to the draft, Porter said he wants to show the kids in Southeast Missouri that they can achieve big things through hard work and dedication on the field and off of it.

"Sports are fun and they can make you famous, but they also keep you out of trouble, they keep your head straight," Porter said. "That's what got Kony out of trouble, so I think he wants to show these kids that they can be dedicated and get things accomplished in life, but that comes with hard work."

For more information on tickets and how to purchase them, contact Trey Porter at 573-281-0187 or Ricky Smith at 573-587-2254.