Post by TheShadow on Jun 27, 2007 3:33:50 GMT -5
seattlepi.nwsource.com/
By DAN RALEY
P-I REPORTER
It's the end of June and Lincoln Kennedy is pulling on pads and playing pro football again. While most NFL veterans cast a wary eye at training camp and enjoy a last bit of freedom before reporting, this oversized man named after a pair of assassinated presidents is preparing for a playoff game.
At the relatively old football age of 36, Kennedy lines up at offensive tackle for the Arena Football League's Tampa Bay Storm. Worth millions, he's losing money by doing this. Accustomed to first-class amenities, he easily could lose his mind over nightmare travel and facilities that often are the nearest parking lot.
Yet in the midst of Florida's summer humidity, the former Washington consensus All-America selection and first-round NFL draft pick couldn't be more content.
"Guys on this level don't make half as much money as the NFL, but they've shown me twice the drive and passion," Kennedy said. "It was something I hadn't thought about, but these guys really get joy out of the game. It's just about football and having fun. I wish I had experienced it sooner."
After a three-year retirement from the NFL, the three-time Pro Bowl player and Super Bowl XXXVII participant became the Roger Clemens of his sport for reasons similar to the ageless pitcher -- he hadn't had his fill.
"I didn't believe the Super Bowl year in Oakland was a fluke, but the way we imploded after it left a sour taste in my mouth, and I was tired of it," said Kennedy, who spent 11 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons and the Raiders. "I realized I hadn't got football out of my system. I felt I had a few years left in me."
This extra-large man also had far too many pounds hanging on him. He now carries 345, down roughly 100, on his thick 6-foot-6 frame. That's right, he was hovering around the heart-attack-waiting-to-happen range of 445.
His second wife, Patricia,the mother of their 10-month-old son, Tavon, gave him an ultimatum at their Phoenix home.
"In all honesty, I didn't know I was as heavy as I was," said Kennedy, who also has a daughter, Taylor, 13, from another relationship. "My new wife pointed out that we're not having a family until you start taking better care of yourself. It was a wake-up call that I was playing with danger."
Almost 20 years ago, the then-aspiring defensive lineman was already huge when he showed up at Washington as a freshman. Posing for newspaper photos, he dwarfed Huskies coach Don James in one shot and clutched school publicist Chip Lydum under one arm in another.
Kennedy and his girth were moved to the UW offensive line and he played in three Rose Bowls, sharing in a co-national championship as a junior. For several years, however, he was estranged from the Huskies, voicing his unhappiness with an athletic director who has since been removed.
"I severed initial ties with Barbara Hedges," he admitted. "I told people I wouldn't have anything to do with it while she was around. I didn't approve of her coaches, of her Southern California attitude. Her hiring of (Rick) Neuheisel was demeaning to me. It wasn't a true Northwest attitude. It wasn't a true Husky attitude to me. Now things have gotten better."
While in the NFL, Kennedy was nicknamed the Oval Office. In 2003, he used his presidential power to play on the game's biggest stage in his hometown, losing the Super Bowl to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48-21 in San Diego. Two years later, he walked away and became a TV and radio broadcaster in Los Angeles for Fox Sports and the NFL Network, putting his UW speech communications degree to work.
When football tugged at him again, he contacted the Raiders and took physicals for Dallas, Tampa Bay and Washington. The layoff and his advancing age scared all of them off.
Kennedy originally signed with the AFL's Dallas Desperadoes, but received no assurances he could crack their 20-player roster on game day and was traded early this season to the Storm, which was short of linemen. Tampa Bay was 0-5 when he arrived and is 9-2 with him in a stance. Next up for Kennedy is Saturday's playoff opener against the Columbus Destroyers.
Luckily, it's a home game. On a trip to Austin, Texas, Storm players had their 7 p.m. flight delayed because of mechanical problems, their resulting midnight flight arrived in Houston too late to make the connection, and their bus driver mistakenly took them to Waco, creating an unwanted and untimely adventure.
"I'm going to write a book," Kennedy said. "We didn't get off the bus until 7 o'clock the next morning. ... We had a game at 3 o'clock that day. We won the game."
It wasn't easy for him to return to adequate playing shape, but he's done it and figures he's been competitive on game day. He's neither ruling out nor promising to play another season or two. He's still explaining this one to former NFL teammates.
"I'd run into guys and they'd say, 'What are you doing?' " Kennedy said. "I'm just having fun."