Garrett Johnson gave a homeless man his shoes, and a video of the college student and football player’s good deed went viral, winning him praise as a good Samaritan, The Knoxville News Sentinel noted.
The University of Tennessee walk-on has been drawing widespread attention after a video showing his generosity made the rounds on social media.
In a post to Twitter, Johnson explains that he was walking to get food one night when he came across a homeless man who “couldn’t walk because his feet were hurting from the torn shoes he had on.”
The college student immediately backtracked to fetch two pairs of shoes to give to the man, identified as “Lala.”
In the video, he is seen helping the man try on the shoes.
“These are comfortable tennis shoes,” he tells “Lala” in the video, according to The Knoxville News Sentinel. “They’re New Balances. Do they feel good?”
The man asks if they are free before accepting the shoes.
“Don’t know those people but I do care,” Johnson said in his tweet.
The act of kindness comes amid preparations for a day center to be built by the City of Knoxville to provide shelter to the homeless who sleep under the Broadway viaduct under Interstate 40, The Knoxville News Sentinel noted.
According to the most recent data, compiled in 2016, more than 9,000 people in Knoxville have received some kind of homeless services while the number of chronically homeless people is estimated to be around 300, 10 News reported.
The city has risen to address the situation by approving $500,000 for various homeless services, The Knoxville News Sentinel said.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.