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The Face Of A Franchise

Tribune photo by CLIFF McBRIDE

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Derrick Brooks gets the crowd fired up at Raymond James Stadium.

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By IRA KAUFMAN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 2, 2008

ANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Derrick Brooks section of the 2008 Bucs media guide uses 10 pages to chronicle his football accomplishments and two pages to highlight his philanthropic endeavors.

It could easily be the other way around.

In the midst of his 14th NFL season, Tampa Bay's 35-year-old linebacker remains the face of Florida football and an unending source of pride for a league intent on minimizing player misconduct.

"There has been no better representative of the National Football League than Derrick Brooks," Commissioner Roger Goodell said of the co-recipient of the 2000 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. "He has achieved great things on the football field, but Derrick's legacy will no doubt include his inspirational leadership off the field."

From the establishment of Derrick Brooks Charities, Inc., to the building of the Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate High School in Tampa, the former Florida State standout has consistently dedicated himself to helping others.

"I think Derrick's mom Geraldine had a lot to do with the kind of man he is," said Bucs defensive end Kevin Carter. "But every man has a personal choice when you leave your father's house - who are you going to be and what are you going to put out there when you become a man? What's going to be said about you? Not your father, not your uncle, but what's your legacy? Derrick Brooks' legacy is secure. I'd be hard-pressed to find a chink in his armor."

Brooks credits his parents and his grandmother for forging a spirit of giving that has earned him countless honors, including the 2004 Byron "Whizzer" White Award for dedication to team, community and country.

"Through my grandmother, I learned the concept of sacrifice, of doing what you can to make life better for other people," Brooks said.

Two days before the Bucs headed into Arrowhead Stadium, Goodell handed down a Week 10 suspension for Chiefs running back Larry Johnson, who is facing simple assault charges for allegedly spitting a drink in a woman's face.

Whenever Goodell grows tired of meeting with Johnson, Pacman Jones and other troubled players, he thinks about Brooks and the uplifting impact he has on his peers.

"He's always trying to make a positive contribution," said Bucs rookie linebacker Geno Hayes, a former Seminole who looks at Brooks as a role model. "He's one of the most inspiring guys I've ever been around and believe me, they're very proud of Derrick Brooks up in Tallahassee."

When Brooks is asked for a key moment that shaped his outlook, he answers in vivid detail.

"If I had to pick one incident, it would be when my father spanked me in front of my fifth-grade class," he said. "The school called my home and told my parents I was being a class clown. One day, my father showed up in the middle of one of my cutting-up moments and he whipped me ... with a belt. Today, you'd get put in jail for that. I thank God he loved me enough to show me that if I didn't treat people with respect, I wasn't going to be much in life."

Phildra Swagger, principal of Brooks-DeBartolo High, gained insight into the 10-time Pro Bowl linebacker while accompanying the "Brooks Bunch" to Africa.

"Observing his character was awe-inspiring," she said. "He is real. He has a game face and he looks so hard, but then you meet him and you encounter a gentle spirit."

When the group crammed into an airplane for an 18-hour flight, Brooks grabbed a seat in coach, Swagger said.

Brooks would pore over the youngsters' journals until the middle of the night and make comments so the kids could review them by breakfast time.

"Derrick is one of the very special people in this business," said Colts coach Tony Dungy. "From the time I met him in 1996, you could tell he had a different outlook on the game than most players and a different outlook on life than most people. He continues to do amazing things."

For Brooks, the simple act of giving is well worth the effort.

"I want people to know right now, as well as when I go home to see God, that I was a God-fearing man No. 1 and No. 2, I did the best I could to make life better for someone else," he said. "Football has its place, and it has provided me with a stage and resources to go beyond the game. For that, I'm very grateful."

Brooks and Carter, an ex-Gator, were each selected in the first round of the 1995 draft. When asked about his former college adversary, Carter acknowledges he is humbled by Brooks' imprint.

"I'm a real good man," Carter said. "I'm a great husband and a dynamite father, if I do say so myself. But in the presence of No. 55, I look at myself and say, 'Kevin, you could be a little bit better.' What more can I say? The man inspires me every day."

Reporter Ira Kaufman can be reached at (813) 259-7833.

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