If you’ve read my posts before you’ll know that I have some pretty strong opinions.  There are more than one professional athlete that I’ve piled on here for the way they act, perceived or otherwise.  New information has come to me recently that is making me rethink this position with one in particular.  Let me set the background.

I was listening to a local sports radio show and they were interviewing Conrad Dobler.  Dobler has long been viewed as the dirtiest player to ever play in the NFL, Rodney Harrison not withstanding.  Whether or not you agree with that tag I think those of us who remember him during his playing days can honestly say the guy always came to play.  He never took a play off and gave 100% on each and every snap.  Part of his reputation came from being an offensive lineman that just didn’t back down from those he played against in his time.  Defensive lineman such as “Mean” Joe Greene and Alan Page, very tough guys and competitors who wouldn’t consider stooping to “after the whistle” shots to get their point across.

I hold no grudges against those types of players from back in the day.  They all got as much as they gave.  Dobler was one that just didn’t take their crap, yet he’s the one everybody focuses on as being the dirty player.  It probably didn’t help much when he made those Miller Lite commercials being an instigator, which he was quite good at as well.  But Dobler was a tough guy.  One has to be to endure the more than 30 knee operations and the multiple knee replacements.  He is considered to be 90% disabled from these injuries and subsequent surgeries.  He has petitioned the NFL to provide him with disability benefits but has been denied on numerous occassions.  Dobler has complained loud and often, but not without merit.  He has a point that the NFL is ignoring, but I won’t get into that here.  That can be an entirely different topic.  Dobler has struggled at times to make ends meet.  Then, in 2001 as the family was gathering for a 4th of July barbeque, his wife fell out of a hammock and broke her vertabrae.  She became a quadraplegic because of the accident.

Which now brings me to my villian and what’s changing my mind.  In 2007, this professional athlete that I speak of had his attorney contact Dobler after reading of his plight.  His inability to make a steady income and the cost of his wife’s injuries and recovery had left them to the point they could no longer afford to send 2 of their children to college.  The phone call from the attorney was completely out of the blue.  This athlete wanted to pay for his two children’s college education.  Because of this person’s generosity, Dobler’s daughter has graduated with honors from Miami of Ohio and his son is currently enrolled at Kansas University.  The athlete?  Phil Mickelson.

I’ve railed about Phil in the past.  How other golfers state how fake he is and that the “public” Phil is nothing like the one on tour.  Well, maybe he’s that way on tour because it’s filled with jerks.  This kind of giving comes from the heart and not as a publicity stunt.  Dobler couldn’t understand why Mickelson, a person he’s never met, would want to do such a thing.  The attorney’s response?  “Because he can.”  When asked about it Phil declines comment, which is further indication the man isn’t doing this for the attention.  This is truly what’s in Phil’s heart.

In 2009, Phil paid for 3,000 elementary age children to have a shopping spree at a San Diego Walmart.  Not just school supplies but shoes and jackets and jeans and backpacks.  To date, Phil and Amy’s “Start Smart” foundation has outfitted over 6,500 students from 135 schools across the country.  Phil routinely contributes money for each birdie and eagle per tournament to charity as well.  When you see him on tv signing autographs for kids he does so with a smile that is genuine.  He talks to each child and is interested in what they have to say.

The current controversy over the irons he uses, which are approved by the PGA, is fast becoming a joke.  Those who are bitching about it should just shut the hell up.  Their complaints have the feel of sour grapes as none have had the success that Phil has had.  I would have expected better from you Rocco Mediate.  Stop being a hater and recognize the integrity that Phil carries himself with.  I for one have done a complete 180 on the guy.  No longer will I repeat the “man-boob” jokes or his lack of coordination with that funky jump into the air after winning the 2004 Masters.  No, you can count this jackass as a Phil fan from now on.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 2:50 pm and is filed under Golf. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.