University of Tennessee Athletics
Family matters to Cowboys' Jason Witten
February 06, 2008 | Football
By TODD ARCHER / The Dallas Morning News
SOUTHLAKE, Texas ??? As you walk into Jason Witten's home, you soak in the spoils of his fame and fortune as a four-time Pro Bowl tight end for the Cowboys.
There is an understated country feel to the home tucked away in a Southlake neighborhood. Beyond the pool, there is a pond where he can fish. Upstairs is a media room, complete with his jerseys from high school to college to the Cowboys and other autographed photos and helmets.
But look closely at the walls in the family room. Look at the pictures on the end table. Or in the kitchen. Around the media center. Above the fireplace.
They are all of Witten, his wife Michelle, and their 1-year-old son, C.J.
You can feel the warmth, the love, the devotion, the faith. One day not too long ago, Witten playfully tossed C.J. in the air, catching him with the softest hands as they exchanged the same wide smile.
"He's wanted to give his son the perfect family, whatever that is, that he never had," Michelle said. "He wants C.J. to have the things he felt like he never could have."
Today in Phoenix (Feb. 1), Witten will be honored as one of the four finalists for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.
The other finalists are Miami's Jason Taylor, Pittsburgh's Hines Ward and Kansas City's Brian Waters, the Waxahachie native and former University of North Texas standout, whose 54 Foundation benefits underprivileged families in low-income areas in his hometown, Dallas and Kansas City.
The winner will be announced Sunday before New England plays the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.
"If there's a guy the NFL could look at and say, 'We want every player to be like this,' then that's Walter Payton," Witten said. "He stood for everything the league is about. Not just on the field but off the field as well. I know what he did, and it encourages me to do more to be like Walter Payton."
Witten was named Cowboys Man of the Year for his off-the-field work. He is heavily involved in all of the team's charitable functions, such as the Salvation Army. He has been part of the "Take a Player to School," program since his rookie year.
The NFL asked Witten to be a part of its "Play 60" initiative that asks kids to exercise for at least 60 minutes a day to fight obesity. He also runs a football camp in Elizabethton, Tenn., his hometown, for more than 900 kids and hopes to start a camp locally this year.
But his passion is The Jason Witten SCORE Foundation, which supports families affected by domestic violence. SCORE stands for Support, Community, Overcome, Rebuild, Educate.
To understand why Witten gives so much of himself, you have to go to a place inside his soul, a place he does not talk about much.
Not yet a teenager, Witten was living outside Washington D.C. with his mother, Kim, father, Eddie, and older brothers Ryan and Shawn, when he witnessed the verbal and physical violence his father inflicted on the family.
"Those heartaches, those cries in your life that you go through, I thought that every kid goes through them," Witten said. "I knew I didn't have much, but I didn't know there was another side out there. I thought one present for Christmas was the way it is."
But at 11 years old, Witten's life changed. Witten, his mother and brothers left the father and moved to Elizabethton to live with their grandfather, Dave Rider. He was not only Witten's football coach at Elizabethton High School, but became the male influence Witten lacked.
"I learned quick to say, 'Yes sir. No sir. Yes ma'am. No ma'am,' " Witten said.
Witten learned about football, but he also saw his grandfather open the car door for his grandmother. When he skipped school once to get a haircut, his hands trembled when his grandfather met him at the school entrance and demanded his car keys. A month went by before he got them back.
When Witten was named to his first Pro Bowl in 2004, the first person he called was his grandfather, and he struggled getting the words out.
"He was a role model for how to treat other people, how to treat your wife," Michelle said. "It was a respect factor his grandfather put in him. It was how to love other people and do things the right way."
In December, the Wittens launched the foundation and the first event benefited 30 families from The Family Place, the largest family violence service provider in the Dallas area.
The stories, like the one of an 18-month-old who was given Kool-Aid and noodles to eat twice a day, made Witten shudder and wanting to help more.
"I remember those feelings and those times, and I see kids now, and I can't really relate my level to theirs," Witten said, "but I know what my feelings were and they'll be there the rest of my life."
Witten has intermittent contact with his father, but he holds no grudge. He wants his father to know C.J. and the couple's next son who is scheduled to arrive in April.
In fact, Witten wonders where he would be if not for what happened earlier in his life. To this day, it drives him on the field, and it drives him off the field with his foundation.
"Our first goal with the foundation was leaving a legacy," Witten said. "We all have an opportunity to make an impact while you're playing. I want to use that to set a standard for long after that. When I'm done playing football 10, 15 years down the road, the foundation is still impacting the youth."
JASON WITTEN
NFL experience: Five seasons
College: Tennessee
On the field: Will play in his fourth straight Pro Bowl next week after catching a career-high 96 passes, most in team history by a tight end, for 1,145 yards. ... With 348 catches, he has the most in team history by a tight end and is seventh all time among Cowboys receivers ... He is one of eight tight ends in NFL history to have four straight 60-catch seasons. ... Missed only one game in his career because of a broken jaw but returned the next week. ... Third-round draft pick in 2003.
Off the field: Finalist for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. ... Started the Jason Witten SCORE Foundation, which benefits families of domestic violence. ... Runs a football camp in Elizabethton, Tenn., for more than 900 kids. ... Has taken part in the NFL's Take a Player to School Program since his rookie year and is a spokesman for the league's Play 60 initiative ... Wife, Michelle, son, C.J. ... Expected to graduate from the University of Tennessee in May. ... For more information on his foundation visit jasonwitten82.com.
