By Lisa Altobelli Special to NFL.com http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82504b9e/article/when-it-comes-to-helping-others-young-is-browns-goto-guy

The linebacker who missed only three games during his 14-season career with the Patriots explains his longevity as a function of his passion for football—and its underlying structure. “You really have to love and enjoy the sport, enjoy your teammates, and be able to have a great experience playing, no matter what sport you play,” he said. “It doesn’t matter whether your sport is football or another team sport or even an individual sport; there are still the same fundamentals required to reach your goal.”

The fact that he believes so strongly in being part of a team may partially explain his commitment to football. “The first thing you have to recognize about playing on a team is that the team comes first. Once you understand and accept that, you really start enjoying what team sports are all about.”

“When you’re part of an effectively functioning team, you appreciate everyone else more. You understand people more. You get to know them better when you’re all doing something for a common cause. You develop greater relationships with your teammates.” And yet that doesn’t mean giving up your sense of worth as an individual, he emphasizes. “When you understand everyone else’s job, that understanding paves the way to individual success. And as you become a better teammate, that translates into you becoming a better person.”

After all, Steve pointed out, as part of a team, you can be playing at the top of your game and still end up losing because of other players. When that happens, “You understand that things don’t always go the way you planned and you have to make adjustments. Sometimes no matter how much you adjust, you’re still going to be beaten. These are all the little life lessons that football teaches you about not giving up. And about the fact that working hard really does count toward your success.”

To read more click here ==> http://www.theinsightfulplayer.com/2010/11/15/steve_nelson/

By the third year of his football career, Billy was heading down that road, “living recklessly,” in his words; partying and spending; trying to keep up with the older guys. How he caught himself before a major fall and transformed his life to one of focus and purpose is an inspiring story.

Billy Miller was born in Los Angeles and spent the majority of his childhood in South Central L.A. “I didn’t grow up with a lot of money; didn’t have a whole lot of role models,” he said. “My parents worked hard to try to keep a roof over our heads. It was me, my mom, my dad, and eventually we had my brother, and then my sister.

“I saw my first shooting around five; I probably saw my first dead body at eight. We had an alley behind our house and there was a lot of drug activity going on, and sometimes those deals went bad. When you grow up in a neighborhood like that, you’re never able to really be yourself, because you’re always concerned about what could happen next. You’re always on guard.”

From the time Billy was very young, his father planted the seeds for ideas and dreams that would set him on his path in life. “When my dad was frustrated because of a situation we were in, he would always tell me that I would be better than this. He was really fond of football and always told me, from a very young age, ‘You’re going to play in the NFL one day.’ And, he said it so often, I believed that was what I was going to do. It kept me focused. I didn’t look at it as pressure. It gave me something to try to change in my life; a goal to set for myself: to not be satisfied with my environment, to not settle, to not go down the wrong path and do things that would keep me away from that goal.

“Now, did I believe that I was actually going to the NFL? Absolutely not. But it was just a dream and a goal that kept me on the straight and narrow. My dad definitely started that dream in me.”

One of Billy’s strongest characteristics, then and now, is his desire to please his family. “I was driven by the fact that I wanted to make them proud, that I wanted them to see that I was going to be an example of positive change, of growing up a certain way but then having an opportunity to become something different.

“I think that the reason that I made it, and some of my other friends who are by far better athletes than I am, didn’t, is choices—choices that I made and things that I did to stay on the straight and narrow. That’s the reason that I’m able to have a career in NFL. Some of my friends did not make good choices, which led them to jail, or not doing as good in school as they needed to, or other things that might have held them back. Sometimes it comes down to those simple choices that make the difference in the direction that your life takes.” Billy is grateful for his Dad’s constant reminders that his life will be better. This gave Billy confidence and helped him develop the inner strength and insight to make the right choices.   To read more click here ==> http://www.theinsightfulplayer.com/2010/03/10/billy-miller/

He didn’t let the housekeeping chores bother him.

“It was worth it to me, because I had this passion that I wanted to be the best player that ever played the game of football, and that was something that I made my decisions around day to day,” said Karl. “I worked super hard at it, and I also worked hard at school.”

Even after he was injured, and forced to rehab in the women’s training room (a punishment he believes was designed to rattle him and get him to relinquish a hard-won college scholarship), he pushed on, driven to make a comeback.

Talent, he concluded, was just a tiny piece of the path to success, especially since Karl knew talented players who never made it.

“I think God has given each and every one of us more talent than we can use in a lifetime,” said Karl. “And along with that, He’s given us free will. What that means is that it is up to us to go out and find out where our talents and abilities lie and then work hard to develop those talents and abilities. It doesn’t happen by accident.”

For Karl, a good and successful life required a smart game plan. The ingredients? Hard work, the courage to try new ventures and the persistence to pick yourself up and try again if you fail.

Supportive parents stood by young Karl as he worked to correct a noticeable lisp. Over and over, he repeated the phrase: Sister Sally sells seashells down by the seashore.

He battled dyslexia, too. It’s a learning disability that haunts him still. “I have to watch my pen form letters or the ‘p,’ ‘d,’ ‘q,’ and ‘b’ will be mixed up,” said Karl.

The challenges made him a cheerleader for a can-do attitude. And at least for Karl, there were some advantages to being dyslexic. For starters, he is ambidextrous. “I think a little differently, and that’s a great advantage when you are out in the world … As a football player, I played all seven defensive front positions, and they moved me around, left side, right side. It didn’t matter. I am just as strong with my left side as my right side.”

Karl insisted the big potential he found in himself, despite his handicap, exists in us all.

To read more click here ==> http://www.theinsightfulplayer.com/2010/03/10/karl-mecklenburg/

The twins inherited their father’s love of team sports, but their mother made it clear that participating in sports necessitated maintaining good grades.  Those were her values, and they were very important to me growing up. Just watching the way she coped with adversity helped me to develop strong values as I grew.”

As much as he loved sports and was a naturally gifted athlete, developing a commitment to regular practice took almost as much pushing from his mother as did his academic habits. “I started Pop Warner football when I was ten,” he recounted. “The first year was great. The second year, we had practices starting August 1st from 6 to 8 p.m. every single night, and by the end of August I was tired of going every day. I’d be outside playing and when my mom told me it was time to get ready for practice, I just wouldn’t want to go. In fact I wanted to quit. But my mom said no way: I’d already signed up for it and started the season, and as far as she was concerned that meant I’d made a commitment. She let me know that when you commit to something, you see it through.”

Even though he was only eleven, Jason understood that the issue was about commitment and not about football; his mother didn’t mind if in the future he gave up the sport. “She said I had to finish out the year, and if I wanted to quit, I would have to wait until the following year and make the decision not to play before it started.” The lesson was crystal-clear, Jason said. “That taught me plainly that quitting wasn’t the right thing to do.

He was glad he saw the season through—that year and later when he looked back on the experience. “It made me realize that my mom was right; she knew that I didn’t want to quit.  When you’re a kid and you’re doing one thing—which in my case was running around with my friends having a good time—it’s hard to give that up and do something else, like go to football practice every day. But she knew in the long run, I’d be happier if I stayed on the team, and she was right. I had fun and I had a lot of friends on the team. So, once I stuck it out, I never second guessed it. It taught me that quitting in the beginning isn’t always the best thing. Stick it out and you’ll see that that hard work you’re putting in at that time will start to pay off.”

To read more click here ==>http://www.theinsightfulplayer.com/2010/11/15/tennessee_titan_jason_mccourty/

And it was that sense of being half of a whole that made what happened his freshman year in college so difficult. After a stellar career playing opposite each other at St. Joseph Regional High School in Montvale, New Jersey, the two went off to Rutgers University together, but while his brother started playing right away, Devin was red-shirted, meaning he practiced with the team but with the expectation that he wouldn’t see any game time until sophomore year. “The coaches at Rutgers felt that I needed to develop more,” he said.

“I think it would have been easier to take if I didn’t have a twin brother. For our whole life, everyone saw us as the same, and then we got to college and faced someone who was saying, ‘He [Jason] can play, but you’re not ready yet.’ It was the first time that we were treated differently. Everyone had always seen us as the same and this was our realization that in the real world, we were different.”

Seeing the team leave campus for weekend games was particularly difficult for Devin that year.  You go to college to play football, so then when you can’t play, you start to feel aimless.”

Devin refused to let that sense of aimlessness get the best of him.  Instead, he worked harder than ever to ensure that he would have a spot on the football team his sophomore year. “The whole freshman year experience made me realize what it would take to really get to where I wanted to be. So I worked out and lifted weights and did everything I could do, because I said to myself, ‘There is no way that I’m not going to play next year.’ I had played football since my freshman year in high school; this was the first time I’d been in a situation in sports where it felt like, maybe I’m not that good. It really takes your confidence away at first. But I chose a path to just work and keep believing in myself.”

That attitude paid off not only when he started playing regularly for Rutgers his sophomore year but on into his present-day life as a pro, Devin believes.

To read more click here ==> http://www.theinsightfulplayer.com/2010/11/15/new_england_patriots_devin_mccourty/

“A lot of time when you follow the in-crowd it’s going to lead to some form of destruction. It worked that way for me. I was trying to be like everybody else because being accepted meant everything to me … it ran my life and it was exhausting! I finally figured it out that I didn’t have to be like everybody else, that I’ve got my own style. If you have your own flavor and you maximize your own uniqueness, MAN! There are all kinds of possibilities out there for you. I think that’s the way that God wants it. He made each of us different. He gave all of us different gifts and different talents. You are here to maximize your talents and create a life that dreams are made of.

“I am inspired to help kids avoid a lot of stuff that I’ve gone through. The Bible says that to whom much is given, much is required. So, I know that God has given me a great platform being in the NFL. He put me here so that I can have a great influence on kids.”

Reggie is committed to a life of learning and growing. He is the first to admit that he has a lot of room for growth. Out because of his injury in the 2009 season, he worked on becoming more patient. Sometimes he found it hard to be on the sidelines rather than on the field because of his injury. He became antsy and wanted to be out on the field. He reminded himself to calm down, relax and let the healing process take its time; let the rehab process get him in the right position to perform for the upcoming year. He knew that in due time this would pass and God would bring new opportunities his way. To read more click here ==> http://www.theinsightfulplayer.com/2010/03/10/reggie-kelly/

Ken’s own missteps, from his perspective, date back to his decision to drop out of high school. “It wasn’t because I was dumb,” he said. “I was fairly smart, but I was a really shy kid and just developed some bad habits. I was trying to manage school and football, but then I would miss a day of school for whatever reason and I’d be too embarrassed to go back. I felt like people would be pointing a finger at me when I came back. So I’d miss another day, and then it just kept adding up. My football coach started saying to me, ‘What are you doing? You’re wasting your life. You have potential. You could be good. Your parents are on you because of your grades. You’re flunking out of classes.’”

He did drop out, and then fell into a rut of destructive thought patterns. “If you drop out of school, and if you start listening to all the things around you, which was easy to do at the time, you start thinking ‘Okay, maybe I am dumb, maybe I can’t make it, maybe I’m nothing.’ And you lower your standards and you start getting used to that thought, so everything you do fuels that mindset.”

Something changed his thinking one day when he picked up a newspaper to see what kind of job he could hope to have without a high school diploma. “All of a sudden I saw that anything I’d want to do would require a diploma. That made me start thinking that maybe I’d better go back to school. ” Click here to read more ==> http://www.theinsightfulplayer.com/2010/03/30/ken-harvey/

It wasn’t easy, though—physically or psychologically. “It is always tough when you are asked to sit down. I went through it the first time in my career back around 1982 when the Patriots drafted Matt Cavanaugh in the second round and decided he was the better player.  I did what I had to do to help the team until my turn came again, which it did. Then they drafted Tony Eason, and within a year they had him starting in front of me. I always did what was best for the team. I kept my mouth shut and tried to help Tony, and my turn came again, fortunately.”

Recognizing he wasn’t always the best was an important element of personal growth for him. “On the Patriots, we had a lot of great leaders. I wasn’t the only one,” he said. “One thing I realized is that humility is the number one asset for someone in a job like mine. It’s hard when someone tells you you’re not good enough anymore and then sits you on the bench. You don’t know whether your career is over with or how long it’s going to be before you get to play again. You’re waiting for the chance to do something you love to do.”

Over the years, he developed plenty of coping strategies, he said. “I just found that rather than moan and groan and complain about things, it was a much better approach to just go out every day and practice and have fun. Whatever the coach asks you to do, do it to the best of your ability. Then, no matter what happens, you’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. Sometimes it will work out, sometimes it won’t. But if you start complaining and feeling sorry for yourself, then more often than not, you’re not going to get another chance.” Click here to read more ==> http://www.theinsightfulplayer.com/2010/11/15/steve_grogan/

I went back out there and we went back to the same drill. He put the same guy in front of me and he said, ‘Tackle him.’ From that day on I was positive about the sport and just about a lot of things, about not giving up, because it was so easy to give up.” To read more  click here==>  http://www.theinsightfulplayer.com/2010/03/29/jarvis-green/

For Antonio, these publicly visible pitfalls mostly had to do with injuries. Though he believes his long series of injuries was coincidental, that history marked him as a risky draft pick. But each time, sheer force of will drove him back into the game eventually. “I’ve been in situations throughout my career where some people doubted me,” he said. “And there were definitely times when knowing that someone did not think I could do something was what motivated me most to do it. I’ve always felt driven to surpass people’s expectations of me.”

The biggest blow came in the form of a broken leg soon after he was signed with the Bears. For an athlete who had already suffered an unusually high number of serious injuries, this one could easily have crushed the hopes of a less determined spirit. But not Antonio. The awareness that a string of injuries like his could permanently dent the reputation of a rising sports star only made him determined to come back better than ever. To read more click here ==> http://www.theinsightfulplayer.com/2010/03/29/antonio-garay/

Heath believes there are elements in American culture that contribute to the problem. He comes down hard on the pornography industry, especially since he has met sexual assault victims who have suffered directly from it. He hopes that by spreading awareness of the problem he will at least encourage people to turn away from such vices, knowing that they are more dangerous than they may seem.

Heath and his wife Beth Ann created The Heath Evans Foundation (www.heathevans.org). Their goals are to raise the curtain of secrecy on the subject of child sexual abuse and to provide financial assistance and therapy for victims.

Beth Ann encourages children who have suffered such abuse to contact the Foundation, which provides counseling and other services for victims. Beth Ann explains, “They can go to our website and we will do our best to help them. We are often able to coordinate transportation to and from counseling depending on where they live. I would also strongly encourage them to pray. God sees what is happening and He cares. Psalm 56:8 tells us that God keeps and records each tear, and He sees our sorrow.” For more information Visit : www.heathevans.org 

When Chris speaks with young people, he emphasizes to them his own high expectations of them. “I try to help them find their game plan and let them know that I expect greatness from them,” he said. At the same time, he makes it clear to the young people he counsels that their messages of affirmation have to come from within and not just from outside, and this is true regardless of a person’s race, creed or economic status. The cold reality, as he explains it, is that young, poor black males like those he often meets with cannot expect to meet with large reserves of encouragement. “I was out in L.A. recently talking to some kids, and I said, ‘Don’t think there are going to be a whole bunch of people cheering for you. You guys are from the projects, you know that the expectations of what you are going to do is not going to be that high. So what you’re going to do is make it up in your mind that regardless of what they say, you’re going to make it.’”

Read more of his story here ==> http://www.theinsightfulplayer.com/2010/09/21/chris-draft/

One of James’s greatest qualities is his ability to see the goodness in everyone and bring out their best. He said, “I just think that the people need to see the goodness in others. If we all look hard enough, we’ll see it, because it is within everyone.” There isn’t a person who would not be touched or blessed by the wisdom and inspiration James has to offer. He is a big man with an even bigger heart. James is an Insightful Player™ team member who is groomed to bring out the very best in others, one very special person at a time. Read his story here ==> http://www.theinsightfulplayer.com/2010/03/10/james-dearth/

Rashied wants kids to know that their lives mean much more than they think, much more than they could possibly imagine. He knows how hard it is to make the right decisions and to do it by yourself. He wants to encourage kids to lean on God because He is always there and when you lean on God, you are never alone.

Leaning on God was what set him on the right track. He talks about how important it is for kids to push forward and take full responsibility for creating the kind of life they want.

Rashied has a genuine passion for supporting underprivileged children. He said, “I want to show and give these kids hope and say, ‘I know you live in this area, but there’s a whole other world outside of here. These are your current circumstances, but you don’t have to live in those circumstances your whole life. You can pull yourself through with a lot of hard work, a lot of determination and a lot of faith.’” He wants to show these kids that he comes from where they live, that he is the same person they are.

Rashied said,”I have learned over the years the difference between a man and a boy is, a man learns how to play a bad hand well. No matter what cards I have been dealt, I have figured out how to play a bad hand well. Every kid can learn to do this regardless of their environment.”

He has an enormous drive to help underprivileged children succeed. He and his beloved wife, Dianna, started a charitable organization called Rashied Davis Charities http://www.rashieddavischarities.org/. He said, “We focus on literacy and character education and we provide field trips for children in third and fourth grades. Our mission statement is to teach children how to overcome obstacles to success through inspiration, preparation and discipline.” click here to read his story ==> http://www.theinsightfulplayer.com/2010/03/10/rashied-davis/

Jerricho Cotchery made big mistakes early on, as he tells it—mostly notably by becoming a gang member at the age of 12. Now he speaks openly about it in hopes of preventing other boys from following that same path. “I want to share everything that I’ve been through so that everyone can see that it’s not as if didn’t make any mistakes. I want them to see that I made the mistakes and I had to learn from those mistakes. Joining a gang when I was young was a bad decision.

“I always said that if I’m blessed enough to be able to make it out of this situation, I want to come back and inspire the youth to be whomever they want to be.”

Jerricho is doing some beautiful work with kids. Click here to read more ==>http://www.theinsightfulplayer.com/2010/06/14/jerricho

*Taken from Rocky’s story in Insightful Player: Football Pros Lead a Bold Movement of Hope*

Instant replay of Kyle’s Guiding Principles:
1.Never stop pushing yourself. You will always need to strive for what you want; there is no point at which it will be handed to you for keeps.
2.Believe in God. Even when things don’t go the way you hope, have faith that God has a meaningful and vital plan for you.
3.Show loyalty to your friends, family, superiors and teammates. Have the humility that comes from being part of a group.
4.Remember that mental resolve is even more important than physical ability when it comes to getting what you want—even if what you want is to be a professional athlete.
5.Follow the examples of those you admire.
6.Learn from your own mistakes. Look for the positive message to be found in every setback.
7.Appreciate what you’ve been given. It could be taken away at any time.
8.Treat other people with respect and kindness, in accordance with how you would want them to treat you.
9.No matter how strong an athlete you are, make academics your highest priority, because academic success ultimately has more potential for your future than athletic success.

With his sense of self-determination and boundless resolve combined with faith and spirituality, Kyle reflects the fundamental values of an extraordinary Insightful Player™ team member. http://www.theinsightfulplayer.com/2011/05/03/kylearrington/

http://www.theinsightfulplayer.com/2010/03/10/roger-staubach/

Myron Lewis is a valued member of the Insightful Player™ team.  To be named to this team, one must be a person of integrity, such as a current or former NFL player, who shares their personal message of hope for the sole purpose of lifting the spirits of all, especially children.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Myron Lewis

A dedicated role model

who fully embraces his family, friends, teammates and those in need

When Myron Lewis was growing up, there was no shortage of positive role models surrounding him. Raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in a two-parent household with lots of siblings, he experienced an upbringing that emphasized sharing and caretaking. “I was blessed to have six older brothers and two older sisters,” he said. “We slept in bunk beds and shared clothes. Yes, it was pretty rough at times, but my mom and dad always made sure we had food on the table and a roof over our heads.”

When Myron was eight years old, a close friend moved to a community with a more competitive Pop Warner football league than the one Myron played for, and the family encouraged him to come live with them and play football in their son’s league. So for several years, he lived with the Ratkowski family – parents Steve and Kim, sons Derrick and Brett, and daughter Amber – in Pembroke Pines, while still spending plenty of free time with his own parents and siblings in Fort Lauderdale.

Steve Ratkowski, his friend’s father, was the Pop Warner coach; he saw Myron’s potential as an athlete and made sure the boy had plenty of time on the field. The judgment would turn out to be sound: Myron went on to play football at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and then embark upon a pro career back in his home state of Florida as a cornerback with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The financial struggles that characterized his upbringing were always offset by the emotional support he received from his large family. He learned firsthand the value of reaching out to someone in need. “I try to be the best role model I can,” he says. “For kids especially. Everyone needs some type of support, the kind of support that will uplift your spirit and make you feel better about yourself.”

Myron also learned respect and self-sufficiency from his parents.  “They instilled in me to always be respectful, never be rude; and to treat others how you want to be treated,” he said.  “My mom was someone who never got in trouble for smoking, never got arrested, never got a ticket. She was just always doing the right things and treating others with respect.   And my mom is one of the nicest ladies that you’ll ever meet.”

At Vanderbilt University, Myron continued to exert himself both in the classroom and on the football field. The rigors of college took some adjusting, he said – but he stayed focused and took it slow, making sure his first priority was always academics and not sports. He graduated from Vanderbilt University in less than four years with a bachelor’s degree in Human and Organizational Development. He hopes that once his football career ends, he’ll use these skills to realize the longstanding dream of helping his mother open a restaurant.

The other abiding influence in Myron’s life as he grew was his beloved grandmother, who lived with the family for most of Myron’s childhood and died when he was a young teen. She battled diabetes throughout her adulthood, eventually undergoing the amputation of a leg as a result of the disease.

“That was rough on my whole family, but my grandmother always stayed high-spirited,” he remembered. “She was always encouraging people; she always knew the right thing to say. But at the same time, she was never afraid to speak the truth to anyone. She could tell you about yourself. She never wanted us to worry about her. She always told us she was going to be okay.”

Other members of the family suffer from diabetes as well, and concern for them as well as the wish to honor his grandmother inspired Myron and three of his brothers – Hamin, Hanik and Hanil Milligan — to start a foundation dedicated to diabetes research. The foundation is called the Ismay Raymond Foundation (www.ismayraymond.org), named after Myron’s grandmother. As they point out, there are 23.6 million people in the U.S. living with diabetes; 1.6 million new cases are diagnosed among adults each year. “We mostly want to find a cure,” Myron said. “We want to talk more about prevention also, and help people figure out what they can do if they are diagnosed with diabetes.”

Steadfast devotion to his family, friends and fans, along with a lifelong commitment to doing what is right and showing respect for others, are just some of the characteristics of Myron Lewis that make him stand out as an Insightful Player™ team member.

Instant replay of Myron’s guiding principles:

1. Treat everyone who crosses your path with respect.
2. Remember that what you do reflects on your family and others who identify with you (such as your team). Be sure your actions are making them as well as yourself proud.
3. Support the causes you care most about with a goal of making the world a healthier, safer or happier place.
4. Seek out good examples among your family, friends and community members.
5. Try to emulate those role models you admire most.
6. Do what you believe to be the right thing in every situation. Even if it is the harder choice, it will come back to you with blessings.
7. Carry yourself as a role model for others. Make your actions reflect your beliefs and values.
8. Recognize and appreciate the support that others offer you, and don’t be afraid to lean on them when you need to.
9. Keep academic success among your highest priorities.
10. 10. Take the best care you can of your body by eating the right foods, exercising regularly, and paying attention to health concerns

The Insightful Player™ series is brought to you by Coach Chrissy Carew, Hall of Fame Master Certified Personal and Business Coach.  Chrissy has been deeply inspired by her father, the late Coach Walter Carew, Sr.  Her father is in several Halls of Fame as a high school football coach and baseball coach (as well as high school and college athlete). He used sports to help kids build strong character and teach them valuable life skills.  The Insightful Player™ initiative was created to help make our world a much better place. To contact Chrissy Carew visit http://www.insightfulplayer.com or call 603-897-0610.

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