Former Seahawks long-snapper Nate Boyer working to build water wells in Africa

The day after being waived by the Seahawks, Nate Boyer received a call from St. Louis Rams star Chris Long asking if he’d be interested in joining a campaign to create clean water wells in Tanzania. It didn’t take long for Boyer, a former U.S. Army Green Beret, to jump on board.

“I called him the next day and said, ‘How about I take a wounded vet – a guy who is a single-leg amputee, a buddy of mine – how about we go climb Kilimanjaro to raise money?” Boyer said on “Brock and Salk” Tuesday. “He was all in and now I’ve got Microsoft on board and we’re going for it.”

Boyer, who made national headlines as a 34-year-old undrafted rookie who taught himself the craft of long-snapping while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, was waived by Seattle during the preseason.

He joined ESPN’s Kenny Mayne on “Brock and Salk” to promote the Waterboys Initiative. The organization picks one player from each of the 32 NFL teams to represent their franchise as the official “Waterboy,” with the ultimate goal to raise $45,000 to build a sustainable, deep borehole well and subsequently provide water for more than 5,000 people in Sub-Sahara Africa. Microsoft is hosting a Waterboys event tonight; Mayne is the emcee.

Boyer said he enjoyed his experience trying out for the Seahawks and getting to know the players in a different light. He recalled trying to sneak out of the team’s practice facility after being waived and walking past a group of Seahawks stars, including Michael Bennett and Richard Sherman. They spoke for a bit and Sherman then tracked him down in the parking lot and gave him a hug.

“That meant a lot to me just to see that, to feel that from those guys in what little time I spent there, and I guess what it seemed like it meant to them,” Boyer said. “So that made it all worthwhile to me.”

Boyer invited anyone with any ties to a Microsoft employee to attend the Waterboys event, where all proceeds go to the organization.

“If you have a friend or family member, or know somebody who works for Microsoft, you can come through them,” he said. “You’ve just got to reach out to them and have them come with you. And you can bring as many people as you want.”

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