NFC NEWS ‘N’ NOTES

THERE’S MORE TO THESE GUYS THAN FOOTBALL:

NFL PLAYERS SPREAD GOODWILL, SEE THE WORLD

With training camps and two-a-days still months away, it is time for NFL players to suit up and see the world.

Many have taken advantage of the springtime lull in the schedule to participate in several unique events that have proved not only enjoyable to them, but beneficial to the community at large.

A trio of NFL All-Stars – running back WARRICK DUNN and linebacker KEITH BROOKING of the Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens tight end TODD HEAP – joined NFL Commissioner PAUL TAGLIABUE last week in Germany for a four-day visit to members of the United States Armed Forces.

The group spent time with soldiers heading to and coming from service in Operation Iraqi Freedom, including members of the 1st Armored Division and 3rd Corps Support Command.  They answered questions, signed autographs and posed for pictures.  They also sampled “MREs” – meals ready to eat – prepared for them by members of the “1AD.”

The final day of the tour included emotional visits with dozens of wounded troops at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.  It also included a stop at the Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility at Ramstein Air Base, where injured soldiers were preparing to depart for the United States to continue their treatment and recovery.

“It was an honor and a privilege for me to be able to spend time with members of our military,” said Heap, who along with Brooking was making his first journey to Europe.  “They are true heroes for the job they do in defending our country, putting themselves in harm’s way every day to ensure our freedom.”

A look at how some other NFL players have spent their spring:

·         Falcons center ROBERTO GARZA was a special guest of President GEORGE W. BUSH at a Cinco De Mayo celebration at the White House on May 5.  Garza, who is of Mexican descent, greatly enjoyed his visit to our nation’s capital.  “It was truly an honor to have the opportunity to stand in the White House and represent my heritage,” said Garza.  “It was also incredibly surreal to walk around the White House and be surrounded by this country’s history.”

·         Tampa Bay Buccaneers tackle ROMAN OBEN has consistently demonstrated his commitment to community service throughout his NFL career.  Entering his ninth season, Oben, who spent time with the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns prior to joining the Bucs in 2002, found a unique way to give back this spring far from home.  Oben returned to the African country of his birth, Cameroon, donating $10,000 to finance the tuition, books and renovations of two elementary schools and a center for disabled children.  “I’m looking at these kids, with no socks and dirty shoes, and I’m thinking that was once me,” Oben said.  “Now I’m wondering what more I can do for next year, and how I can build on this and get more people involved.”

·         Miami Dolphins running back RICKY WILLIAMS is usually on the move, evading defenders en route to four consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons.  But this spring, Williams was really on the move, spending a month-long vacation in Australia, located some 9,351 miles from sunny South Florida.  Williams took off for the land “down under” with a loose itinerary, following in the tradition of the backpacking college student and staying in youth hostels.  He traveled without a cell phone, kept a journal and bought a 1974 Volkswagen van, which he used to tour the Australian outback and sleep in at night. 

·         Baltimore Ravens center MIKE SOLWOLD, a 2000 graduate from the University of Wisconsin as a history major, is in the midst of an internship at the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution. 

Solwold will coordinate the placement of artifacts and images, and write about them, for a traveling two-year exhibit that begins in October entitled “Sports: Breaking Records, Breaking Barriers.”  The exhibit will highlight athletes who have changed society through off-the-field efforts as well as their sport by their performance.