Crimson Red Sports

He was six back then. Kouandjio's now 24 — a 6-5, 325-pound adult living a dream that is uniquely American, playing professionally in a sport that this country cherishes and sanctifies like no other.

"It means a lot to be going through this and be able to call myself an American," Kouandjio said.

It was well worth it — not only for Kouandjio but his mother Georgette as well. Georgette and her husband, Jean-Claude, came to the United States to improve the lot of their four kids — one of whom is Cyrus Kouandjio, Arie's younger brother who is the mammoth-sized former Alabama tackle playing for the Buffalo Bills and going through the process of being naturalized.

"My Lord, that is a blessing," Georgette crowed. "I cannot tell you. Oh, the Lord is good. This country has given us everything we never expected. We have two sons in the NFL. This is the country of opportunity — if you work hard and follow your dreams...It was my dream to become an American citizen. It was my dream to get a better life for our children."

But his path to citizenship has come at an interesting time in the NFL, when players — most notably San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick — have elected to kneel or sit during renditions of the national anthem as a form of protest against social injustice.

"It's these people's right to do so," Kouandjio said. "I just kind of really hope they're doing for the right reasons in their heart...Part of my being [an] open [person] is that. I think people do stuff for dumb reasons all of the time and they make scenes for dumb reasons all of the time, which I have a problem with. But if they are doing it for real thought-out reasons they have in their hearts, then let's talk about it."

Most recently, he participated in an interview and took a 10-question civics test, which he studied for and passed.

I wonder how many voters in this country would fail that same test?