Benford joins Ja’Marcus Ingram as the second Bills DB to pen a children’s book in the past 12 months.
Buffalo Bills cornerback Christian Benford signed a contract extension that will keep him in Orchard Park, NY through 2029. The Bills’ 2022 sixth-round draft pick said he is thankful to be staying in Buffalo and that there is plenty of work left to be done. Off the field, he’s working too — but instead of cleats and pads, he’s using pen and paper.
Benford has written a children’s book entitled “Stylish Safari: The Adventures of Being You” with the goal of impacting kids in what he says is the best way possible. His goal: instill in them that it’s okay to be you.
“Let the kid be a kid,” Benford said is his message and that he hopes to inspire his readers to wear what they want to wear and do what they want to do. “To impact them in the best way possible to help wire their brain to be them — to be yourself.”
Benford said that the inspiration for the book came from a memory of his own childhood. He remembers having a Power Ranger watch that he was proud of, but another child bullied him for wearing it. Benford said that the child version of himself confronted the bully and that the experience was empowering.
“After that happened, I felt good,” he said. “Like, I’m still wearing my Power Ranger watch. Can’t nobody tell me nothing.”
Benford said that he wanted to write a children’s book so that he can expand his reach. He hopes that his book will teach kids he never meets, ones he won’t have a chance to talk to in person, that it’s okay to be different.
“People are going to say what they say, think what they think, but if it’s not helping you grow to be a better man or a better woman, it doesn’t matter,” he explained his simple message, “If you want to be different, be different. Be different and stand 10 toes to it. That’s why I wanted to write that book.”
Benford isn’t the first Buffalo Bills player to write a children’s book. In fact, he isn’t even the first one on the current roster. Last season Ja’Marcus Ingram released a children’s book, “The Lil’ Player that Could.”
Stevie Johnson has written several children’s books and collaborated with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Fred Jackson on two of them. Eric Wood, Brandin Bryant, and Ray Bentley — whose series about a dinosaur were illustrated by former Bill Mike Hamby — are all among the children’s book authors who have played for the Bills.
Christian Benford’s book is available now for pre-order, with an expected release date of April 22, 2025.