Panthers' Xavier Legette has dream to get horse in Kentucky Derby
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette is attending the 2025 Kentucky Derby as the NFL's social media correspondent.
The 24-year-old was a logical choice for the role. He told FanDuel TV's Kay Adams he presently owns 14 horses and hopes to someday get one of them into "The Run for the Roses."
"I see it as a big investment and one day I want to get into the Derby," Legette told Adams.
Legette's credits his father and uncle – who owns a horse stable in Mullings, South Carolina and would bring horses to visit his nephew for his birthday – for sparking interest in horses.
Legette started riding horses at the age of 5. Doing so and visiting the horses became "an escape" for him as he grew up.
"When I want to take my mind off football and just relax, I hunt and ride them horses," Legette told ESPN in 2024. "I gained energy from it early."
Legette's made his affinity for horses known during his rookie NFL season. Notably, he mimed riding a horse during his first-ever professional touchdown celebration, something he explained was to pay homage to his first horse, "Dolla Bill."
Legette continued to break out that celebration, making it his signature following scores during his first NFL season.
That helped him to reach horse racing's biggest stage on behalf of the NFL. Legette has used the opportunity to take in the magnitude of the event and prepare for a potential future competing at Churchill Downs.
Of course, Legette has also taken time to spread love to the horses running in the races. He even got some of them to smile for the cameras, as the NFL shared on its social media accounts.