When the pads come off, Xavier Rhodes keeps doing the work. Discover his and other NFL players’ charitable causes in their own words at The Players’ Tribune as part of a special My Cause My Cleats collaboration with NFL Media.
Below is an excerpt from Rhodes’ discussion with Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher, which touches on the moment Rhodes discovered Fisher’s son, Ethan, has Fanconi amenia and how he has since endeavored to help others with the disorder.
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But when I think about Florida State – and I think about family – one of the first things that comes to mind is a meeting before spring practice in 2011. The whole team had gathered in the auditorium, and when you came in, we were all expecting to hear one of your patented Coach Fisher talks. We expected to talk some football, talk about life, talk about what our goals were for the spring – to get better every day and prepare to compete for a national championship. We expected to be motivated and excited.
Instead, you told us about Ethan.
I don’t think anybody on the team knew what Fanconi anemia was. We all looked at each other, like, "What? What is this? How bad is it?" I mean, you were our coach – our fearless leader – and we were a bunch of warriors. And when we saw you standing up there in front of the team, and we saw you trying to hold back your emotions … it really hit us hard. Some guys put their heads in their hands and prayed. Some guys just sat there in disbelief, shocked and confused. Some guys cried. All the things you and your family probably did when you found out yourselves.
To read the rest of Xavier Rhodes and Jimbo Fisher’s discussion, visit The Players’ Tribune.
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