You're never too old to go back to school and that is exactly what four Jacksonville Jaguars players did on October 5 as part of the NFL High School Tuesday program.
Jaguars quarterback Quinn Gray, defensive end Brandon Green, linebacker Tommy Hendricks and tight end Todd Yoder made their way out to the school to address both the junior varsity and varsity football teams at First Coast High School. The players talked about the importance of working as hard in the classroom as the students do on the field. The players helped convey the message that football was just as much a mental game as it is a physical one.
"In talking with these guys, I remember being in the same position they are in. We were all once high school student athletes with big dreams, so this brought back a lot of memories," stated linebacker Tommy Hendricks. "I took school very seriously. I wasn't the brightest kid or didn't have the best grades, but I respected my teachers and always did what was asked of me, and that carried over into my career in football," he added.
"It was during my freshman year in college that I got the opportunity to play early on, because I was able to get a grasp on the playbook," states tight end Todd Yoder. "I knew then that if I didn't have those good study habits in high school, that chance may have passed me by," he adds.
During the first week of August through Tuesday, September 21, visitors to www.nflhs.com , the NFL's high school football web site, can nominate their local high school for a chance to win a visit from a current NFL player. Each of the 32 NFL teams has at least one player visit a high school in their respective cities.