Former NFL players carry message of support to Fort Carson

One type of hero offered a helping hand to another brand of hero Sunday at Fort Carson, when four former NFL players visited with troops to help spread the word about a support program for soldiers.

The program, called the Real Warriors Campaign, provides free support services to troops who are suffering from depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, adjustment to civilian life and any other issues they face from serving in the military. The program?s message: Pain shouldn?t be suffered silently.

Former Tennessee Titans wide receiver Chris Sanders told a group of about 40 soldiers and their families that when his career ended 10 years ago, he thought about killing himself.
?When I retired, I was a mess. I was like, ?I can?t take this anymore,?? he said. ?I got knocked out of my marriage, I got knocked out of my finances.?

But, he said, he got help. And he got through it.

Sanders got laughs when he quoted the ?Rocky? movies. He talked about a scene he loves in one of the sequels, when, at the end of a boxing match, Rocky?s trainer gets down at eye-level with him as he?s lying on the mat.

?He said, ?C?mon, Rock. One more round!? That?s what this program is doing from the sidelines ? saying ?One more round!?? Sanders bellowed.

Denver native Sean Tufts, who was a linebacker for the Carolina Panthers until 2007, said he lost his career after refusing to acknowledge a serious knee injury, because he was afraid of being cut from the team. The pain grew so bad, that he eventually couldn?t turn left, because the pain was too intense.

To this day, he said, he can?t run more than a mile, because his knee starts to hurt ? all because he was too afraid to ask for help, he said.

?That was the dumbest thing I?ve ever done,? he told the troops.

Pfc. Alex Walton, who blew out both of his knees and now walks with a cane, said the players helped him find new resolve. Walton spends every day in doctors? offices, and he?s waiting to be discharged, which he hopes will be within the next six months.

?I needed that. They went through the same things I?m going through,? he said.

Walton said he?s far from the only one who needs help, and he hopes more in the military hear the players? message.

?There?s guys with PTSD, there?s guys with injuries like me, and we?re all in the same boat,? he said.

Tank-sized Leonard Renfro, who played as a defensive tackle for three separate NFL teams, told reporters before the gathering with soldiers that a veteran friend of his killed himself, and that his brother has psychological problems from his time in the military.

?There?s nothing wrong with saying, ?I need some help. Will you help me??? Renfro said.
After the players were done recounting their own stories, they stuck around to talk to troops, sign autographs and pose for pictures with wide-smiling warriors.

Soldiers can get advice or help anonymously from the Real Warriors Campaign by calling 866-966-1020. For more information on the campaign visit www.realwarriors.net.
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Contact John Schroyer: 476-4825
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Source: http://www.gazette.com/articles/support-131397-program-players.html

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