HIGHLAND, Utah — Ask Rob Morris if it was a challenge being a member
of the LDS Church and playing in the National Football League, and he
doesn't hesitate in responding."I didn't find it difficult at
all. As a matter of fact, I think it's more difficult living in Utah
County and being LDS," says Morris, a former BYU and Indianapolis Colts
linebacker who retired last summer and lives in Highland with his wife,
Tracie, and 5-year-old son, Carter."There, it was clear-cut
what my standards were. I was a far better person in the NFL than I was
at BYU. Mostly because I was more grown up. Everybody knew I didn't
drink, I didn't swear, I didn't smoke. It wasn't an issue, other than
(former Colts running back) Edgerrin (James) thought polygamy was the
greatest gift to man, ever. He said he wanted to become a Mormon just
for that. (Of course, Mormons no longer practice polygamy.) We had a
very religious team. Guys were very accepting."Morris' head
coach for the last six years of his eight-year career was Tony Dungy, a
devout evangelical Christian. In 2007, Dungy became involved with
Indiana Family Institute, a socially conservative organization, and
openly supported an amendment to the Indiana constitution that would
have defined marriage as solely between one man and one woman.While
Morris says he never really talked to Dungy about religion, he
respected the way Dungy was willing to reveal his spiritual side."It's well-documented how religious Tony is," Morris says. "He would always tie religion into this pregame speeches."During
the 2005 season, Dungy's 18-year-old son, James, committed suicide, and
Morris had an up-close-and-personal view of how Dungy handled the
tragic loss."What's interesting about Tony, he turned his own
personal tragedy into an opportunity to teach," Morris says. "I
remember when he first got back to town. He came into the meeting room.
I walked up to the front of the meeting room and he just stood up and
gave me a big hug. It was almost as if he was consoling me. He's
amazing."Morris, Dungy and the Colts won Super Bowl XLI in
2007. Though Morris treasures his Super Bowl ring and other awards he's
earned, he knows that's not what is most important."At the end of it, that's just not what it's about," he says. "If that's what it's about to you, you've missed the boat."What stands out to Morris is the relationships he's made during his career in football."I
think about my friendship with (former BYU coach) LaVell (Edwards).
When I see him, I still feel a close kinship with him," Morris says.
"My friendship with John (Tait, a roommate and teammate at BYU who
plays with the Chicago Bears). I'm still close to (BYU) coach (Lance)
Reynolds and his family. We'd play Tennessee and I'd talk to (former
BYU assistant) Norm (Chow) before the game. You develop these
relationships. You remember those things."That's what I
remember most. That's what I miss now. I miss the game, but I miss
being around friends like (former Colt teammates) Dallas Clark, Hunter
Smith, Bob Sanders and those guys who I had a real affection for."These
days, Morris spends much of his time doing work around the house — his
wife is 23 weeks pregnant and on bed rest — and taking care of his
son. Morris also serves as a priest quorum adviser in his ward. He
emphasizes the importance of serving a mission to the Mormon youths
with whom he works. Morris recalls his missionary experience in
Toronto, Canada, with fondness."It was an important part of my
life," he says. "Unfortunately, I wasn't as prepared as I should have
been with the 'raise the bar' now. I don't know if I would have
qualified back then. I regret I wasn't more prepared. Working with
these priests, they ask me, 'How do I know if I'm prepared?' I say: 'Be
more prepared than me. Know where Moses is. It's not in the Old
Testament.' Once I got settled in on my mission, it was a great
experience."Are the youths he serves today better prepared for missionary service?"Absolutely.
No question," Morris says. "They also face stiffer challenges with some
of the things that they face. When I was in high school, the big deal
was: don't drink, don't party. Now, the new challenges are with
technology and are much more difficult. But they're much more prepared.
We have a good program in our ward. We have missionary mentors that are
called. I'm a missionary mentor for a young man playing football at
Idaho State, Kevin Whimpey. It's good for me, good for him."Morris
would like to devote his life to working with youths. Last summer, as
he considered returning to the NFL after suffering a serious knee
injury during the 2007 season, Morris met with BYU coach Bronco
Mendenhall for some advice about his future."I definitely
wouldn't say coaching is at the top of my priority list," Morris says.
"I never did think about going back into football until I went to talk
to Bronco about whether or not I should go back. He told me his story.
I won't go into that, it's his story. What I came out of there
realizing was, maybe coaching wasn't his lifelong dream, but he wanted
to serve young people and strengthen them. I've come to the realization
that if at some point, coaching is what I need to do to accomplish what
I'm supposed to do, then I will."
E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com