Israel Idonije is a Good Human!
By DeCon
Between the Blackhawks Momentous Championship and the World Cup kind of taking over sports recently, the Beardom has been quiet. We all know the Bears are gearing up for camp and then we can get into the nuts and bolts of the 2010 season and hopefully put those together in a way that we will have a GOOD season to talk about…
Until then, one Bear doesn’t seem to ever take a break, Israel Idonije is being honored today in New York as a Global Ambassador by the Jack Brewer Foundation…no, that is not the Jack BAUER Foundation for you 24 fans out there.
According to the foundation’s website, The Jack Brewer Foundation strives to “Empower From Within” through our self-sustaining initiatives, offering educational opportunities and economic development in partnership with underprivileged people around the world.
Izzy is being recognized for his humanitarian efforts by visiting his native Nigeria for the third straight year this past March. Izzy distributed shoes, conducted sports camps and lead volunteer doctors on medical missions for those in Nigeria. Izzy also received the Ed Block Courage Award in April which is given to one player on each of the 32 NFL teams to recognize the player who best exemplifies a commitment to sportsmanship and courage and serves as an inspiration in the locker room.
I know the players get paid a hell of a lot of money for doing what they do and Warren Sapp years ago described it as, “I get paid a king’s ransom to play a kid’s game,” but Izzy needs to be recognized for his efforts and I wanted to do my small part to recognize him. I know we banter a lot on our site about everything that is wrong with the Bears, but this is simply something that is RIGHT! As I understand it, Izzy returned from Nigeria on the morning of the Bears first voluntary training sessions and he was there for the afternoon practice when other members of the squad weren’t. Jetlag be damned, but for any of you who have travelled internationally, you know that when you return from an overseas trip, all you can think of is sleep, but Izzy decided it was too important to miss practice so he Man’d Up!!!
Izzy isn’t the only Bear to do his part. There are lots of players who do, but this post is for Izzy and we will try to bring you the other examples of good deeds done by our Bears in the future. Charles Tillman, Jay Cutler, Nick Roach, Greg Olsen and others quickly come to mind…
If Izzy isn’t an example of some of the lessons I am trying to teach my kids, I don’t know what is. I’d encourage you to check out Izzy’s Foundation, IZZYz KIDz on Facebook. Until next time…
CAN I GET AN AMEN?!?!?!
DeCon
Hit me on beargoggles.decon@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter @DeCon76.