Ex-Buc Brooks honored at retirement party

A retirement party honoring Derrick Brooks attracted several Hall of Fame players and many former teammates to Raymond James Stadium on Saturday in tribute to the 11-time Pro Bowl linebacker of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The organization honored Brooks in a four-hour event that featured video highlights of a 14-year career and speakers ranging from ex-Bucs safety John Lynch to former defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin.

Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders offered a heartfelt tribute to a fellow Florida State standout while Hall of Fame running backs Marcus Allen and Eric Dickerson looked on from the audience.

"We could argue about who was the best player,'' Sanders said of Brooks, "but I can honestly say I really feel like you were the best man and I love you. I met you coming out of Florida State and I walked away saying, 'That's a cocky, young man.' I loved that swagger Derrick Brooks brought. I don't know him intimately, but I love what he stands for.''

Among the former Bucs who turned out to honor Brooks were Mike Alstott, Brad Johnson, Brian Kelly, Anthony McFarland and Dexter Jackson. Coach Raheem Morris and general manager Mark Dominik also attended, along with co-chairmen Bryan and Joel Glazer.

"Prime Time'' was in top form as Sanders chided the quarterback that led the 2002 Bucs to an NFL championship.

"To the Glazer family, you're wonderful,'' said Sanders. "I played for five organizations and nobody did this for me. By the way, I heard Brad Johnson say that Derrick Brooks was the best player he ever played with. I want to remind Brad that he played with me on the 2000 Redskins. Brad, you know, I'm sitting right back there in the middle with a seersucker suit on, like you can't see me.''

Besides his football accomplishments, Brooks was lauded for his numerous charitable endeavors.

"There's so many consistent themes tonight,'' Lynch said. "People talk about Derrick Brooks the player, about the character, the family man, people talk about the leader. There's a lot to talk about when it comes to Derrick Brooks.''

Kiffin was accompanied by Joe Barry, who challenged Brooks daily as Tampa Bay's linebackers coach for seven seasons. Both are on Lane Kiffin's staff at Southern Cal and they talked about the unique skill set of Brooks, who will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2014.

"That Derrick Brooks could go sideline to sideline,'' Kiffin said from the podium, becoming more animated with each syllable. "He has speed … and speed kills. He's fast and he's tough. He has instincts. And he was smart. We'd get the scouting report and Derrick Brooks would know everything for every single play.''

In his 25-minute closing remarks, Brooks thanked family members, coaches and former teammates for their support.

"I thank (former Buc executives) Rich McKay and Jerry Angelo for taking a chance on an undersized linebacker,'' Brooks said. "I can still remember my first meeting with Coach (Tony) Dungy. We sat for two hours and talked about changing the culture in Tampa. He wanted me to be a big part of that. He got us going and took us as far as he could.

"I'm big into challenges and Coach (Jon) Gruden challenged our football team to be great. We sat in that first meeting and the defense looked around at each other and said, 'Who is this guy trying to tell us who we are? We carry this team.' I can remember Coach Gruden saying, 'I can put that tape on and Michael Vick's still running down Dale Mabry.' As a defense, we needed that.''