|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chances are, Tim Hasselbeck will never find out what happened to Simone.
The young girl, perhaps 3 years old, clung to him the entire week he spent in Riverton City, Jamaica, a Kingston slum built around a trash dump. The connection was such that the Simone's teenage mother, seeing no future in such an ugly place, told Hasselbeck to take her daughter with him when he went home to America.
``I guess you never
want to sound like you're soft or anything,'' Hasselbeck said. ``But for me,
yeah, emotionally, that was tough for me to see that. For a woman to say, 'Take
my daughter.' That was hard for me.''
Of course, Hasselbeck couldn't accept. He was a football player from Boston
College trying to do some good during spring break, like his brother Matt before
him, working with orphans and leprosy victims with a group called the Ignacio
Volunteers.
Nearly six years later, in the cozy training facility of the Washington Redskins, the memories of that week stir Hasselbeck's emotions more than any talk of his first NFL victory -- just three weeks ago -- or the futility of his 0.0 quarterback rating in a game against Dallas.
``Kids are running around with no schools, no homes, no electricity, no place to go to the bathroom,'' Hasselbeck said. ``When I was 3 years old, I was wondering what game we were going to play outside. If it was cold, I was going to come inside and have some hot chocolate.''
And, as for Simone, one of many kids who turned Hasselbeck into a human jungle gym every day, he can only hope she turned out for the best.
``They live on a dump. They don't have an address,'' Hasselbeck said. ``If there was any kind of way to find out, I'd love to know that things are a little bit better. It's sad thinking about.''
This has been a special year for the Hasselbeck family. After years of pink slips from various NFL teams, Tim latched on with the Redskins. He is finishing the season as the starter because of an injury to Patrick Ramsey and appears to have earned himself a roster spot for next season.
Meanwhile Matt is in Seattle, leading his team in the playoff chase in his third year as the starter and as the Seahawks' nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year for community service. Younger brother Nathanael is a red-shirt sophomore at Boston College.
Tim's wife, Elisabeth, has parleyed her success as a ``Survivor'' contestant into a co-host chair on ``The View,'' getting the job just days before Tim got his first substantial playing time in the NFL.
Watching it all unfold is father Don Hasselbeck, who spent nine years as an NFL tight end.
``Everyone says 'Congratulations.' The funniest part is I guess I'm excited for them, but I think Matthew is probably more excited about it than anybody,'' Don Hasselbeck said. ``Because Matthew and Tim were so close.''
The Hasselbecks are an emotional bunch, and their track record is one of caring. When Matt made the same trip to Riverton City, he watched a boy fall into a hole being used for a bathroom. The boy died, and one theory is that his assistance in the rescue effort is what gave Matt hepatitis, putting him in the hospital and causing him to miss spring practice the year he was vying for a starting job at BC.
After that experience, his parents couldn't believe it when Tim wanted to follow his brother's footsteps two years later. Yet they all agree: The boys came back as different people, and for the better.
``It was really a life-changing experience,'' Matt said. ``It changed my perspective on everything. Whereas before I might have been the 'Why me?' thing. I just decided at that point, I was going to make the most of what I had and what I was given: God-given ability, health, all that stuff.''
Don Hasselbeck didn't even want his sons to play football. The physical pounding prompted him to encourage other sports. Finally, he promised to let them sign up on the day he retired, figuring they would be over it by then.
Wrong.
``They were there the same day that I told (Bill) Parcells I was done with the Giants,'' Don said. ``They were standing there with their footballs under their arm. 'Can we go sign up?' I said, 'No, it's too late.' 'Please?' ''
Matt recalled that his father ``expected us to be upset'' because he was retiring.
``My first reaction was, 'Great,''' Matt said.
Don took them to practice and ended up coaching them for nine years, passing along NFL tips to Pop Warner kids. He had his sons play quarterback so they wouldn't get hurt.
But they were good.
Tim, who went through various training camps and a stint in NFL Europe, became Matt's biggest sounding board. Matt would call Tim from the Seahawks' team bus after a game and get the full critique from his brother. Now Matt can return the favor.
``That's the most exciting part of it,'' Don said. ``I know these guys; they enjoy it. They're passionate about it. A lot of people said to Tim, 'Have you ever thought about coaching?' Tim was like, 'I want to play. I can always coach. I want to play.' He understands the game. I think that's what makes it fun for him.''
Elisabeth, despite the glamour of her job, shares the Hasselbeck trait for helping. Her charity-related trip to Belize while at Boston College helped inspire then-boyfriend Tim to follow Matt to Jamaica.
``It's funny, because she's very creative, left side of the brain, and Tim's right-sided, where everything has to be very analytical, very thought-out,'' Don said. ``Yet at the same time they do have that same compassion for those less fortunate than they are. It's not a bad trait to have.''
Tim is ready to do more. Now that he has a chance to stay with a team for more than a few weeks, he hopes to emulate at least part of the laundry list of community service -- United Way, Race for the Cure, Boy Scouts and the Matthew Hasselbeck Foundation, established by his brother in Seattle.
``A lot of times when you think you're helping somebody, they end up helping you more than you help them,'' Tim said. ``That's what happened in Jamaica.''
AP Sports Writer Tim Korte
in Seattle contributed to this report.