Current and former NFL players have partnered with the American Diabetes Association for Team Tackle, an organization committed to fighting diabetes on a massive scale.
Sam Acho
Chicago Bears
Tell me about Team Tackle. What do you focus on? What are you hoping to achieve?
Being a part of Team Tackle has been an honor for me these last few years. About 80-90 other NFL players and I have actually gone up to D.C. to meet with Congress to help change some of the laws towards preventing, delaying and possibly even curing diabetes.
What originally inspired you to become a part of Team Tackle?
As a professional athlete, I get approached with a lot of different opportunities, and so when I got approached with the opportunity to be part of Team Tackle and help raise awareness and actually go to Congress – and the first year we went, President Obama was in office so it was, “wow, I might get a chance to meet President Obama” – all those different things came into play. But the biggest thing was that I wanted to be able to use my voice and my platform to be able to change the downward trend of diabetes and help people living with diabetes and pre-diabetes.
Do you have a personal connection to diabetes?
I do. My grandmother actually has diabetes and the way I met my wife was through my grandmother. My grandmother was living in Nigeria, so we needed someone to take care of her. We were all living in America at the time, but we needed to change her diet because what you eat and what you drink has so much to do with how you control your diabetes in some cases. So we asked if my dad’s friend who was living in Nigeria knew anyone that could help and my dad’s friend actually recommended the woman who now is my wife. We met through her taking care of my grandmother for years and years. So, my grandma had diabetes, I met my wife through that and then, during the birth of our first son, Caleb, my wife had gestational diabetes. So I’ve had two people very close to me affected by diabetes.
How has your career as a professional athlete impacted your thoughts on raising awareness towards diabetes?
Not many people are asked to go to D.C. and lobby Congress, which is what I’ve done with Team Tackle. I was going to D.C. with different advocates from all around the nation and meeting with senators and telling them about bills that are in place that can help change the trend of diabetes, telling them about how they can help and be a voice. And so it’s one thing to have an advocate who is living with diabetes or who has lost someone because of diabetes, but it’s another added layer to have a professional athlete, a guy who has a platform and some influence, go to D.C. free of charge and use their voice to help people with diabetes.
What have you learned from working with diabetic children?
I had a great experience at an American Diabetes Association (ADA) summer camp in Chicago and one thing I learned there is that the children care just as much about their health as their parents do, or that they sometimes know more than their parents do. Some parents don’t know about the different ways to help control diabetes, but once the children who are living with diabetes learn about different dietary ways to help manage it, they actually want to start making these changes. I’ve learned that children are passionate voices for diabetes.
Have you applied any of these things to your life on and off the field?
I have. When my wife was pregnant and she had gestational diabetes, her diet had to change completely. We didn’t know what was going to happen after the pregnancy. We didn’t know if she was going to continue with diabetes. We didn’t know if our kid was going to have diabetes. We knew that, with gestational diabetes, your kid has a higher tendency to have diabetes, so we changed our diet completely. I remember when we first got married, we lived in Arizona and it was hot in Phoenix, unlike Chicago. Every weekend, we’d go to an ice cream spot and get ice cream or froyo. But with her diabetes, we realized that this doesn’t just affect you – it affects all of us. Both of our lives changed and both of our diets changed. We made a complete lifestyle change and it’s been for the better.
What is your favorite part about being a member of Team Tackle?
One of my favorite parts about being a member of Team Tackle is meeting with the staff at ADA and some of the advocates. The staff [is] so passionate. And then the advocates [are] the people who come to D.C. with us who have been affected personally by diabetes or their children have been affected. I’ve learned that diabetes touches everyone. There’s not one person who hasn’t been affected by diabetes, whether it’s you, relatives, someone you know or a close family friend.
Frostee Rucker
Arizona Cardinals
Tell me about Team Tackle. What do you focus on? What are you hoping to achieve?
My role on Team Tackle is to be an ambassador for American Diabetes Association (ADA), to use my platform to raise awareness for diabetes treatment and prevention. Through my work with Team Tackle, I have heard countless stories of families struggling to afford insulin. That shouldn’t happen in this country. By combining our voices, hopefully we can draw more attention to this disease that affects millions in our country.
What originally inspired you to become a part of Team Tackle?
I have a passion for organic and healthy living and that’s what initially drew me to be a part of Team Tackle. Type 2 is preventable, and by not attacking the causes in our diets and advocating lifestyle changes, we are allowing this disease to run rampant through our communities. I’ve learned so much through my advocacy work that once I started to see the impact I could personally make, there is no way I could continue to sit on the sidelines.
Do you have a personal connection to diabetes?
My best friend from growing up was recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. I’ve always advocated for organic eating and healthy lifestyles, but hearing stories of families affected by this disease has amplified my passion. Type 2 diabetes is something that is needlessly causing suffering to millions of people in the country while raising health care costs for everyone. With better education, we can make a measurable difference.
How has your career as a professional athlete impacted your thoughts on raising awareness towards diabetes?
Being active and taking care of my body is part of my job every day. I’ve realized through my work with Team Tackle that not everyone puts a priority on their health, either because of lack of opportunity or lack of knowledge. It’s my responsibility as someone in my position to share my passion and knowledge about healthy lifestyle with others.
What have you learned from working with diabetic children?
The courage and strength diabetic children and their families have shown is inspiring. Through my work with Banner Children’s Hospital in Arizona, I’ve seen firsthand the struggles these families have to overcome on a daily basis. When a child is diagnosed with diabetes, the entire family suffers not only dealing with the illness, but with the outrageous cost of insulin. It takes perseverance and optimism to battle this disease day in and day out.
Have you applied any of these things to your life on and off the field?
Even under unreal pressure and dire circumstances, families of children with diabetes stick together, remain grateful and never give up. Those are traits I hope that I embody with my family and my teammates.
What is your favorite part about being a member of Team Tackle?
Getting to meet new people has been my favorite part of being a member of Team Tackle. The families affected by this disease, the many volunteers for ADA and the passionate advocates of Team Tackle all share the same vision and determination. There is a lot of work to be done, but I know that we aren’t doing it alone. Being a part of Team Tackle and an advocate for ADA is some of the most important work I’ve done in my life.
Lorenzo Alexander
Buffalo Bills
Tell me about Team Tackle. What do you focus on? What are you hoping to achieve?
Being a part of Team Tackle gives me the opportunity to give a voice to those living and impacted by diabetes through the platform we have as professional football players. We want to help educate people and really move the needle when it comes to diabetes awareness in America.
What originally inspired you to become a part of Team Tackle?
I was excited to join Team Tackle as I had been working with the American Diabetes Association for a few years prior. When it comes to Type 2 diabetes, there are lifestyle changes that can be made to prevent the disease and the lack of awareness and education is something that can change if we come together and talk about it. After riding the 100-mile route of one of ADA’s Tour De Cure events in Arizona and working with staff and volunteers from ADA, I believe in the work that’s being done and the people doing it.
Do you have a personal connection to diabetes?
Both my grandmother and my grandfather that I grew up living with had Type 2 diabetes and my grandfather passed away from complications from the disease when I was five. My grandmother, who was my heart and soul, volunteered at my school and took care of me growing up. I can remember her checking her blood sugar and giving herself shots. I can remember when her sugar would get low and she’d act out of character and feel embarrassed about it – and she couldn’t control it. She passed away when I was 12 and that really affected me because she was everything. My uncle, who is still living today, who was my football and baseball coach growing up and really taught me how to be a man, he is living with diabetes and it’s hard seeing him go to dialysis multiple times a week for hours a day. Growing up, I really witnessed his fight with diabetes and those challenges on top of all that he was doing for us, and him always being joyful and resilient. It was inspiring.
How has your career as a professional athlete impacted your thoughts on raising awareness towards diabetes?
Part of my job as a football player is to be in the best shape that I can and it’s something I take very seriously, especially as the years have gone by during my career. For me, it’s top priority because it’s my job, but many people, and understandably so, aren’t as focused on eating right and making sure they exercise. It has made me more passionate about really encouraging people to take care of themselves to prevent developing diseases like Type 2 diabetes.
What have you learned from working with diabetic children?
The children I have met that are impacted by Type 1 diabetes are joyful and resilient. They’re constantly fighting and not allowing diabetes to stop them from accomplishing their goals. They just know they’ll do it with diabetes at their side and it’ll be something they have to work through every day.
Have you applied any of these things to your life on and off the field?
Resiliency and perseverance are two character traits that have inspired me after seeing people battling diabetes and meeting kids who are living with the disease. There is a never-ending determination that I’ve seen in some of the kids, especially, and that’s something I try and embody as an athlete, as a parent and as a person.
What is your favorite part about being a member of Team Tackle?
When we launched Team Tackle in 2016, there were more than 40 current and former professional football players that came together in Washington, D.C., and spent time with advocates and volunteers telling our personal stories to members of Congress. Knowing that we can make a difference if we keep working together means a lot to me. We’re all in it together.
Dont’a Hightower
New England Patriots
Tell me about Team Tackle. What do you focus on? What are you hoping to achieve?
As a Team Tackle member, I have the opportunity to collaborate with my peers around the league to increase diabetes awareness and support for the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Football has given all of us a unique platform to be able to reach a lot of people and, hopefully, help a lot of people. I hope as we continue to work together, we can make a real impact in educating people about diabetes.
What originally inspired you to become a part of Team Tackle?
My mom was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2015 and ever since her diagnosis, I’ve been working with the American Diabetes Association to raise awareness, and I also have hosted a fundraising event to benefit the organization. When Team Tackle was launched, it was eye-opening to see how many people were impacted by the disease, especially within the football family. My mom will always be my inspiration, but after visiting Capitol Hill with advocates from around the country and hearing story after story of the devastating impact of this disease, it’s motivating to continue to do as much as I can.
Do you have a personal connection to diabetes?
My personal connection is my mom’s fight with diabetes. She has always sacrificed so much for my sister and me so that we had the best life possible and it’s an honor for me to be able to give a little bit of that back by doing what I can to make an impact on the trajectory of the disease. From the ground up she’s been there, from me coming in from high school games, having full body cramps and her coming in and rubbing my legs down. She’s been there since day one. She’s the reason why I’m here. Anything I can do to help her, whatever she needs, I’m here for.
How has your career as a professional athlete impacted your thoughts on raising awareness towards diabetes?
As an athlete, it’s a big part of my job to be in great shape and fuel my body with nutritious foods, so it’s one of my, if not my top priority. For a lot of people, self-care is an afterthought or not a priority because of work, taking care of kids – all of which are important, but you have to be in good health to do all of those things. It has definitely given me a different perspective and appreciation for taking care of myself, and for my family members and friends to do so, and I want to help others make it a top priority, as well.
What have you learned from working with diabetic children?
Some of the advocates we met in D.C. are living with Type 1 diabetes and their stories, and those of their parents, are incredible. Diabetes is a 24/7/365 disease and the management is critical. When we launched Team Tackle, an advocate named Aiden Dine told his story. He plays baseball and enjoys everything kids enjoy, but he also always must be aware of how his body is feeling and where his blood sugar levels are at. The perseverance and determination he has to do all the things he wants to do and manage his diabetes is inspiring.
Have you applied any of these things to your life on and off the field?
One of the characteristics that continues to stand out from all of the advocates and families I’ve met that have been impacted by diabetes is their determination. Whether it’s the determination to overcome the adversity of living with Type 1 diabetes for a young child or an adult who changes their lifestyle to control their diabetes and avoid being insulin-dependent, determination is a defining characteristic of those I’ve met that have been impacted by diabetes.
What is your favorite part about being a member of Team Tackle?
There is strength in numbers and the number of football peers, advocates, families around the country and volunteers. All the people I’ve met that have been impacted by diabetes are all coming together to change the future of this disease and find a cure. Team Tackle is bigger than just the 75-plus guys on the roster. It includes everyone that’s coming together to tackle diabetes.
