Despite being an NFL defensive lineman heading into his seventh pro season, Kerr is keenly aware of how he’s perceived in public. That’s one of the things he’s teaching his son, even at a young age.

“He’s in pre-K, he’s bilingual, he’s super smart, knows a bunch of things. But I always just have to remind him who he is, and who we are, and what the world is going to view you as,” Kerr said. “I can go out to a restaurant, and it doesn’t matter if I’m Zach Kerr, the defensive lineman for the Carolina Panthers. They’re not going to see Zach Kerr, the defensive lineman for the Carolina Panthers. They’re going to see a Black man first.

“That’s my biggest thing to him, just knowing who he is, making sure he knows his history. Making sure he knows what it took for