Courtesy of NFL Players Association

Those who get the opportunity to meet Chris Draft know the man is much more than just a former linebacker for 13 NFL seasons. He exudes a worldly, inquisitive personality and keeps a close eye on big-picture events and how things function.

His greatest calling, though, is imparting the importance of education to children. It’s his preferred method of impacting communities for the better.

Serving communities: It’s what Chris Draft does.

“If you’re looking out for someone at your school or at your club or in your neighborhood, that’s service,” Draft said following a recent school appearance in Indiana. “It doesn’t have to look like you’re saving the world … opening a door, carrying groceries, things like that are huge.”

Reading and exercising are two beacons through which Draft carries out his message. When he does public speaking engagements, the Stanford-educated Draft makes a difference in the lives of youth through his words and his actions.

“Knowing that something very small can mean the difference in somebody’s life,” Draft told Pantagraph.com. “I try to constantly think if I was 10 years old and an NFL player came and spoke, would I remember it? I know I would.”

Draft also serves as founder, president and CEO of the Chris Draft Family Foundation. His approach to life is perhaps summed up best by a Leslie C. Aguilar quote that appears on his email signature: “Just one person taking action can inspire others to do the same.”

by Khalil Garriott, NFLPlayers.com