THEY'RE entering a lifestyle that seems to poison as many as it nourishes. NFL lifestyle will offer
its own challengesThese young men I have written about as high school football players; these athletes barely into adulthood, who once bowed their heads in prayer before games, anxiously scanned the bleachers for their parents when they walked out for the coin toss, and beamed like kindergarteners when they won.
They're now embarking upon careers in the NFL.
The NFL of Michael Irvin, O.J. Simpson, and Lawrence Phillips.
The NFL of calculating, conniving agents, depraved millionaire players, and preying groupies.
Excuse me, but it just doesn't seem like a match.
I know, I know. The local guys I've covered aren't angels. Some have seen the inside of a courtroom, gotten drunk or fought in public.
But just about everything they've done wrong to this point in their lives can be traced to youthful emotion.
No matter what you've read or heard, none of these guys is a brazen criminal. That takes as long to develop as it takes to become a Pro Bowler.
They can still look you in the eye and say they did something wrong.
"I get the dummy of the year award," said Olin Kreutz (Chicago Bears center) last week when he ran a red light and got arrested for DUI at 3 a.m.
They can still look you in the eye and vow some very noble vows.
''I'm going to take care of my family when I make the team."
''I'll never forget where I came from."
YOU just want to believe them, and moreover you want to believe they'll improve the image of the NFL.
Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala (Pittsburgh Steelers) calls home when he goes to a Steelers' mini-camp. He stays in while his teammates go out because he wants to call home.
"I have to talk to my mom, nieces and nephews every day," says the 6-foot, 248-pounder who will back up party-hearty Pro Bowl running back Jerome Bettis.
Kreutz never fails to mention how important his mother is to him.
And Viliami Maumau (Carolina Panthers defensive lineman) -- almost abandoned the draft on the Sunday he was selected because he was late for church.
And then there's Itula Mili (Seattle Seahawks tight end) who admitted he was feeling pretty alone and homesick this spring in his new apartment in Seattle. Couldn't even find the kind of food he likes. He'll get his first playing time this summer.
I highly recommend the company of people like this right now, because they're still genuine.
These guys can still look the world straight in the eye.
They'll find they have teammates who can't. And they'll have to deal with that. How they do will determine what kind of men they become, long after football ends.
Even now, Kreutz, Fuamatu-Ma'afala, Maumau and Mili will tell you it's not easy being an NFL rookie who's never played in an exhibition game.
They can't go out at night without worrying that some fool is going to try his manhood against theirs, and they know that any false step will be recorded by the media.
"Best way to handle it is not to go out," says Fuamatu-Ma'afala, whose candor is as unyielding as his running style up the middle.
"Best way is to keep in touch with family every day, and I want to learn more about the Bible."
Don't snicker at this. This is the "before" version of a lot of NFL heroes.
Here's hoping Fuamatu-Ma'afala, Kreutz, Maumau and Mili maintain their true identities.
Pat Bigold has covered sports for daily newspapers
in Hawaii and Massachusetts since 1978.