By Van Adams, Player Engagement Insider
Super Bowl 50 week in San Francisco was filled with a variety of festivities. But not all of the events that took place involved the hype of entertainment, glamour, and celebrity. NFL Player Engagement held a Football Dads Player and Family Breakfast, in collaboration with All Pro Dad, a fatherhood organization, to celebrate the strong role that current players and Legends play as fathers.
The breakfast was attended by a dozen current and former NFL players and their children and significant others including Hall of Famer Charles Haley (San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys), JJ. Stokes (49ers), Dana Stubblefield (49ers), and Lorenzo Alexander (Oakland Raiders).
NFL and team representatives were also in attendance for the breakfast, which featured Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell, who gave a morning talk on the importance of fathers leading by example.
Coach Caldwell, married for 38 years and the father of four, impressed upon the dads in attendance the importance of taking deliberate action to carve out time to spend with family. He encouraged the football dads to strive for “work life balance” and reminded them of how increasingly important the role of a father (or father figure) has become in today’s climate.
As Caldwell shared stories from his own upbringing, he recalled how he modeled his own actions after his father’s and how his father set the example for the man he would become.
“They’re listening to you. They’re watching. You are their greatest mentor,” Coach Caldwell said. “Lead by example and designate time so they know it’s a special time for them to share with you.”
Echoing Coach Caldwell’s sentiment, Oakland Raiders linebacker Lorenzo Alexander also a father of four, said, “Often times, as men, we get caught up in the provider role and forget about the nurturing role. When you are home, get active with them whether it’s shooting hoops or coloring with them, it’s the little things that add up.”
“Kids don't care about what you do at work,” Alexander, who takes his son to work with him and takes his daughter out on dates to the movies or for ice cream, said. “They just want to spend time with you.”
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Torrey Smith and his wife (who is expecting the couple’s second child) read to their one-year-old son every night and are teaching him how to say his prayers. Smith makes it a priority to spend some one-on-one time with his son at the museum to give his wife time to herself as well as foster a bond directly with his son.
“Time and presence cannot be replaced, being there for my son is important,” Smith, who did not grow up with a father in the household, said. “There’s no manual for how to be a father I’ve had some great role models around me to help along the way, one in particular being Coach Caldwell.”
The Football Dads Player and Family Breakfast ended with the players and their children on the football field for an NFL Play 60 activity.