The All-NFL "Good Guys" Team: Defense

A few days ago, I listed my All-NFL “Good Guys” offense. So what about the players on the other side of the ball?

These guys may make their living putting massive hits on other players, but the help they give outside the game has a much greater impact than the tackles they deliver during the season.

Without further ado, my All-NFL “Good Guys” defense (kicker and punter included).

*Note: Once again, some players will be put out of position (OLB vs. ILB, DT vs. DE) because they deserve to be on the list*

DE: Bertrand Berry (Arizona Cardinals) — Bertrand Berry Foundation

Bertrand Berry is a Pro Bowl player and has 40.5 sacks over the past five years.

But how many know that the suffering of Berry’s wife, Shellie, inspired him to start the Bertrand Berry Foundation?

When she was 12, Shellie lost many of her friends to cancer while she battled a rare form of leukemia. That was the motivation for the Bertrand Berry Foundation.

Each spring, the foundation holds a celebrity golf tournament, dinner, and auction to raise money in order to support two key charities: Childhelp and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

During winter, the foundation invites suffering children to a sponsored shopping spree for the holidays.

Each year, the foundation also gives away a scholarship to one student enrolled in a post-high-school program.

The Mable Dean Scholarship, named after Bertrand’s mother, is given to the student whose community involvement has most greatly affected or changed the lives of suffering children in Arizona by “offering them a better life experience.”

DT: Jonathan Babineaux (Atlanta Falcons) — Babineaux Family Foundation

Jonathan Babineaux and his brother Jordan (DB for the Seattle Seahawks) founded the Babineaux Family Foundation to serve the community by sponsoring development activities, community centers, and lupus research.

Each year the brothers host a celebrity golf tournament in Port Arthur, TX.

For their work in the community, the brothers were both inducted into the Museum of the Golf Coast’s Hall of Fame on June 22, 2007.

DT: La’Roi Glover (St. Louis Rams) — La'Roi Glover Foundation

La’Roi Glover is a six-time Pro Bowler and was the NFL sack leader in 2000, so what more could the man possibly do?

Well, in 1999, he announced the establishment of the La’Roi Glover Foundation to help people in his hometown of San Diego.

His foundation was established with the goal to supply scholarships, help families in need, and give money to charities that promote education throughout the San Diego area.

Each year, the foundation gives out scholarships to one boy and one girl from Point Loma High School, Glover’s alma mater.

DE: Eric Hicks (Free Agent) — The Hicks For Hearts Foundation

The Hicks for Hearts Foundation supports children with congenital heart defects, and assists those children and their families through the healing process.

Hicks’ foundation hosts an annual golf tournament each year at the Nicklaus Golf Club at Lionsgate.

Hicks is currently out of work, but his foundation is still going strong.

OLB: Bart Scott (Baltimore Ravens) — A Son Never Forgets Foundation

Bart Scott made his first Pro Bowl in 2006, but if you asked him, that would be far from the most important thing he’s done.

Scott has been active in the community his entire career. In 2004, he helped out the rest of the Ravens in a six-week project to build a new home in partnership with Habitat for Humanity and NFL/United Way.

In 2006, Scott founded the A Son never Forgets Foundation, aimed at helping those suffering from paralysis.

In a 2005 interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer, Scott said that “Being an NFL player is great, but there is no better feeling than bringing a smile to a child’s face.”

ILB: Tedy Bruschi (New England Patriots) — Tedy's Team

As a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan, I am obligated to hate Tedy Bruschi on the field, but off the field, he’s the definition of a class act.

Bruschi suffered a stroke in 2005 after playing in the Pro Bowl and made his return to the league the very next year.

Today, Bruschi has his own foundation as a part of the American Heart Association: Tedy’s Team.

The main purpose of Bruschi’s foundation is to raise funds to go towards stroke research, inspired by his own experience.

Bruschi also appeared on ESPN’s “My Wish” series in 2006, granting the wish of seven-year-old Andrew Geracoulis, who was (and still is) suffering from a heart condition he was born with.

OLB: Derrick Brooks (Tampa Bay Bucs) — Derrick Brooks Charities

Derrick Brooks has been an outstanding linebacker his entire career, earning 10-straight Pro Bowl trips between 1997 and 2006.

But his achievements off the gridiron could rival his achievements on it.

Derrick Brooks Charities was founded with the mission to provide educational opportunities to socio-economically challenged youth.

His foundation holds an annual celebrity golf tournament and is teaming up with the Warrick Dunn Foundation for an inaugural golf tournament the week before Super Bowl XLIII in 2009.

Brooks won the Walter Payton “Man of the Year” Award in 2000 and served as the NFL spokesman for United Way in both 2000 and 2001.

CB: Marcus Trufant (Seattle Seahawks) — Trufant Family Foundation

The mission of the Trufant Family Foundation is to help make dreams come true for youths and their families by giving financial assistance and making a personal connection with individuals and programs that provide service to people who are most in need.

The foundation both supports other existing programs, as well as maintaining its own programs. The foundation gives out financial aid, scholarships, and helps build children’s centers and family centers each year.

CB: Nnamdi Asomugha (Oakland Raiders) — O.W.I.N. Foundation

The O.W.I.N. (Orphans and Widows In Need) Foundation was formed by Dr. Lilian I. Asomugha, Nnamdi’s mother, as a foundation aimed at helping needy orphans and widows in eastern Nigeria.

Today, the organization has expanded to help other rural areas of the world as well, especially Africa, and also supports groups like the Gold Crest Family Center in Lagos, Nigeria.

Nnamdi is the chief backer for his mother’s foundation, and with his help, the organization hopes to spread its help even further in the future.

S: Coy Wire (Atlanta Falcons) — Coy Wire "Caring" Foundation

Coy Wire has never been a superstar player on the field, but he has always been a fan favorite in Buffalo and will likely become one in Atlanta if he makes the roster.

In 2003, Wire founded the Coy Wire “Caring” Foundation to help other charitable organizations in the Western New York area.

Though he now plays for the Falcons, the proceeds from Wire’s foundation still go towards Western New York area foundations.

Some of the chief benefactors from Wire’s foundation have been:

• Make a Wish Foundation
• P.A.C.T. Clinic at Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo
• Roswell Park Cancer Institute
• The Food Bank of Western New York
• Cradle Beach Camp
• Junior Achievement
• The Theatre of Youth
• Boys and Girls Club

S: John Lynch (New England Patriots) — John Lynch Foundation

John Lynch is the definition of “great” both on and off the field. With nine Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl ring, Lynch has enjoyed plenty of success on the field, but off of it, he has become one of the league’s greatest role models.

In 2000, John and Linda Lynch formed the John Lynch Foundation, to provide encouragement and positive alternatives for young people.

Each year, Lynch’s foundation gives out a scholarship, and hosts programs like “John Lynch Salutes the Stars,” which drew over 900 people this past year.

K: Josh Brown (St. Louis Rams) — The Josh Brown Project

Josh Brown, newly of the St. Louis Rams, founded the Josh Brown Project with a mission to improve the quality of life for youth and increase physical activity.

Brown’s motivation for starting the foundation came when he lost a friend to cystic fibrosis, which affects nearly 30,000 children and young adults in the U.S. alone.

Brown has teamed up with RSR Sports Management to implement a “Good for 3” program, where for each field goal he makes, five organizations will make significant donations to the CF foundation.

The organizations include:

• Riverside Ford
• Gillis Auto Center
• Car Toys
• Merit Financial
• Sports Radio KJR

P: Brian Moorman (Buffalo Bills) — P.U.N.T. Foundation

Rounding out my “Good Guys” team is Brian Moorman, Pro Bowl punter for the Buffalo Bills.

In 2004, Moorman, along with his wife Amber, founded the P.U.N.T. (Perseverance,  Understanding, N’Couragement, Triumph) Foundation to help make a difference in the lives of children in Western New York that suffer from life-threatening illnesses.

The programs associated with the P.U.N.T. Foundation include:

• Brian’s Locker
• Brian’s Game Day
• Field of Dreams
• Helping Hands
• Adopt a Family

Well, that completes my team of the current “Good Guys” in the NFL.

I hope you all enjoyed it and remember that there are plenty of these guys in the league to balance out the negative publicity brought on by some of the other players.