Bennett ‘ blessed to be alive’
Stamps defender in car crash hours after writing his final college exam
All along, he figured this would be an unforgettable day. Little did he know. Jarringly memorable for Fred Bennett is May 1, which went from life- affirming to ( nearly) life- snuffing — in an hour’s time.
After completing the last exam in his dogged pursuit of a college degree, Bennett, on the triumphant trip home, got mashed in his car by an eighteen- wheeler.
“I’m just blessed to be alive, blessed to be sitting here talking to you,” Bennett said Wednesday morning — Day 4 of Calgary Stampeders camp — at McMahon Stadium. “Just to be back playing football, man, is just amazing to me. I’m fortunate. Very fortunate.”
Because of back spasms from the collision, Bennett did miss the first two days of camp.
Now he’s telling the bittersweet story of that crazy Friday a month ago. Which started with good intentions.
Bennett, despite being a Canadian Football League all- star in the prime of his career, had been aiming to finish what he started at the University of South Carolina. Many athletes turning pro out of college promise to polish off their degrees in the near future.
“But nobody really does it,” said Bennett, “and I was one of those guys at first.”
There he was in 2007, four classes short of his degree, but merrily suiting up for the Houston Texans of the National Football League.
“I wanted to go back, but I kept putting it off.”
Till the last two winters, which he decided to devote to schoolwork.
“Oh, it’s a very big accomplishment,” Bennett said of his hospitality degree. “I will put it up there — I feel that it’s so important. A lot of people talk about it. A lot of people don’t get to go to college on a free scholarship. A lot of people don’t take advantage of that free offer, that free ride of four years.”
Without his bountiful football skills, Bennett said he would have never had the opportunity to continue his education, to explore his post- sport options.
“Just the way I grew up — I didn’t grow up with a lot,” he said. “Getting a degree was something dear to me.”
To return to class, he required no push. No nagging parents. No insistent wife. He needed just a little time. “It was always me — something I always wanted to do, something important to me, something I really wanted,” said the 31- year- old. “I just wanted to finish my degree so bad. I want to be one of those guys who get my degree and use it — do something with it. Hopefully, one day I’ll run my own establishment — a restaurant, something like that.”
So, imagine his fine mood that day in Columbia, S. C.
Exam in the bag — his final final, you could say — and knowing that he needs only a semester’s internship to complete the program, Bennett embarked on the drive home, a two- hour journey. He never made it. Early in his trip to the town of Ridgeland, a transport truck slammed into the back of his silver Mercedes CLS 550, crumpling it.
“The car’s pretty jacked up . . . in my opinion, it’s totalled,” said Bennett. “The trucking company, they accepted liability.”
Beyond material damage, Bennett was understandably freaked out.
He didn’t anticipate impact. Didn’t see it coming.
“That’s the thing,” said Bennett. “It was a shock to me — bam! ‘ Oh, where did that come from?’ ”
Bennett, who had been alone in the vehicle, noted that the point of impact was the door closest to the car seat of his 22- month- old son, Fred Jr.
Scary, too, was the accident’s aftermath — the contemplation of his football career and its possible end.
“My legs weren’t at full strength,” he said. “Then, the day after, I was just in so much pain, down my back and my neck. I was on house rest. I wasn’t able to do nothing for, like, almost two weeks. So I was just sitting at home, healing up.”
Now, though, he’s ready to return to the Stamps’ star- studded secondary, for his fourth campaign with the club.
As always, his level of appreciation is high.
“Still some muscle spasms, but better, man,” Bennett said with a smile. “I’m doing a whole lot better.”