Wounded warriors put will to win on display
underwent neck-fusion surgery, his shoulder was displaced and his knees were damaged — all because of a rocket-propelled grenade.
His wife, goes through life with “two really fun, jacked-up knees.’’
Saturday was a good day for the Bentons and about 40 wounded warriors who played flag football at Disney World. The collaboration between the NFL and the Wounded Warrior Project was part of Pro Bowl Week.
The Pro Bowl will start at 3 p.m. today at Camping World Stadium, with the broadcast on ESPN, ABC (WFTV-Ch. 9) and ESPN Deportes.
“They spent their whole lives in pursuit of victory,’’ former Jacksonville Jaguars QB
said. “It’s their makeup. It’s their DNA. They get on the field, [whether] on the flag football field or the field of battle, they want to win, and that’s what they do. Winners through and through.’’
Brunell players joined retired
and in helping coach and support the warriors.
Players formed four teams — two representing the Jaguars, one the Miami Dolphins and another the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
They played two 30-minute games each, with a short halftime for players to drink water. During one such break,
flashed his sense of humor.
“You’re only as old as you feel,’’ Patterson, 37, said as he approached the cooler on two prosthetic legs. “And I feel 95.’’
Patterson’s smile was hard to miss, just like many others.
Members of the Players Coalition, a group of more than 40 players who strive to improve social injustice, listened to a presentation Friday from RITE cofounders and on improving relations between police and the black community.
RITE stands for Racial Intelligence Training Engagement. Former NFL and FSU WR
helped found the coalition two years ago.
Pro Bowl Week was all about payback — in a good way. It was a time for veterans to help those with less experience.
“When I was a young player, I remember some of those old veterans that played the game that now have gold [Hall of Fame] jackets were sitting around sharing their knowledge with me,” said Dallas Cowboys TE
35. “So I try return that.”
Witten, an 11-time Pro Bowl selection, isn’t alone. Tampa Bay Buccaneers DT a sixtime Pro Bowler and the NFC’s team-voted captain for today’s game, remembers how to and among others, helped him earlier in his career.
“It’s great to be that guy,” McCoy said. “You dream when you first make the Pro Bowl, you see these people who are that guy. Now playing and being blessed enough to be successful, to be that guy now, it’s a great feeling.” Steelers C
who went to UF, is in the Pro Bowl for the sixth time in seven pro seasons. The only time he did not make it was when he played only one game during the 2013 season after injuring his right knee in the opener. … Pouncey’s twin,
has made three Pro Bowls with the Dolphins but is not on the AFC’s roster this week. …
Barring injury, Pro Bowl WR
(15,545) of the Arizona Cardinals will move past
(15,934) and into second place all time in receiving yards. Hall of Famer (22,895) is the front-runner. Pittsburgh