Irony isn’t lost on Jordan Van Den Berg.
For the past two seasons, Georgia Tech’s standout defensive tackle specialized in making a mess in the opponent’s backfield. His job was complete when the opposing quarterback’s white jersey was entrenched with grass stains.
“I’m a really nice guy,” Van Den Berg says with a big smile, “but I want to go hit someone as hard as I can.”
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He proves his kindness. If any quarterback needs dirty jersey cleaned, Van Den Berg is your guy.
“A lot of people are surprised,” he laughs.
Last fall, Van Den Berg became the owner of Always Fresh Laundromat in East Point.
“I always wanted to own my own business. I’ve always been speaking to my dad, just like we’d bounce ideas off each other,” Jordan explained. “This came to him first. He presented it to me and as soon as we found out, we ran with it, and we did it as fast as we could.”
“At first I was thinking, whoa, that’s a big step, definitely,” said Jordan’s fiancée, Ilanae Du Plessis, “but I didn’t realize how much of a positive difference that buying this laundromat would make.”
The opportunity to purchase Always Fresh became possible after Jordan’s years of experience with NIL.
“I feel like if you’re fortunate enough to get NIL, you need to really set yourself up for your future because, like football is such a small part of your life.”
As passionate as he is about his business, Jordan needs some work on his own laundry, according to his fiancée.
“He really just puts it into the washing machine and then into the dryer and then leaves it there for days,” Ilanae laughs.
What’s become a big part of Jordan’s life over the last few months is his bond with the East Point community. He gives credit to Salaam Ali of Getting Ahead Barbershop right next door for his mentorship.
“The day I met him, he asked what can I do to help over here,” Ali said? “He said, how about haircuts? I said that sounds good. He said how about if I do 30 haircuts and I pay for them. We chose 30 kids that who couldn’t afford haircuts. He paid for 30 hair cuts and the community fell in love with him. This dude has a heart of gold.”
The dude with a heart of gold who suited up for the white and gold continues to prepare for next month’s draft as the dream of playing in the NFL inches closer. The man who makes a living doing the dirty work in the trenches always plans to keep things fresh.
“A lot of people when they get to the next level become a little Hollywood and that’s not whoever I want be because I’m no better than anyone,” Jordan says. “I just feel like God has blessed me with this and I need to give back to everyone else.”
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