Edgerrin James returns to Indy

Business has taken former Indianapolis Colts running back Edgerrin James a long way away from what's truly important to him.

He's a backup with the Seattle Seahawks, a role that will last at least the next three months.

He's the father of four forever. Never mind his brood is nestled on the other end of the country, more than 3,000 miles away in Naples, Fla.

James' houses are in order because he has kept his priorities straight. He's away from the daily happenings of his kids -- they're under the watchful eyes of James' mother, Julie, an aunt and a nephew -- but he's hardly an absentee dad.

"I'm on the phone with them nonstop," James said during a phone interview from Seattle ahead of Sunday's visit to Lucas Oil Stadium to face his former team. "We have a sweet setup at the house. I know they're well taken care of.

"I'm going to be hands on. I don't want to blow it as a parent."

It's family and football, in that order, for a 31-year-old who quietly and relentlessly has forged a career that one day could land him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

"Doesn't surprise me at all," said running backs coach Gene Huey, who worked with James during his record-setting seven-year career in Indianapolis and is in his 18th year with the Colts. "He follows the beat of his own drum, which is a good beat.

"He's done it the right way, on and off the field."

James: the player
James set the bar high shortly after the Colts made him the fourth overall pick in the 1999 draft, much to the consternation of the local fan base. They wanted Ricky Williams, the Heisman Trophy winner from Texas. They got the other dreadlocked running back, the more complete player out of the University of Miami.

James recalled one of his first interviews with the local media.

"I said I wanted to be one of the best that ever played the game," he recalled.

And?

"I'm in that ballpark, and I'm only 31 years old," James said.

He ranks No. 11 on the all-time list with 12,164 yards and needs 576 to move past Tony Dorsett into the No. 7 slot. He's a two-time league rushing champion and one of only four running backs in NFL history to rush for at least 1,500 yards four times.

Never a true breakaway threat, James was a grinder. He moved the chains, broke the will of defenses.

"He'd just wear you down so much, the defense," quarterback Peyton Manning said. "By that fourth quarter, you remember so many games where they just said, 'I'm tired of tackling this guy.' "

The Colts decided following the 2005 season it was time to get younger at the position and allowed James to become a free agent. He eventually signed with the Arizona Cardinals, but only after setting Colts records for rushing yards in a career (9,226), season (1,709) and game (219).

Huey appreciated what he had with James, and knew what the team would be missing.

"Probably one of the finest human beings I've ever been around," he said. "One of the most unselfish athletes I've ever coached.

"He helped us win."

James has yet to make a similar impact in Seattle. He has just 43 yards on 17 carries while learning the offense.
Before signing James, coach Jim Mora did his due diligence. He called his father, who coached James with the Colts from 1999-2001.

"My dad, when we were getting ready to sign him, said, 'You'll love this guy,' " Mora said. "He told me he's one of his favorite players of all time, and people of all time.

"And he doesn't disappoint. He rallies guys . . . he's always imparting wisdom."

James: the parent
Andia Wilson, James' girlfriend since their high school days in Immokalee, gave him four children -- Edquisha, 12; Eyahna, 8; Edgerrin Jr., 4; and Euro, 2. They never married but remained close.

In April, Wilson died after a long battle with leukemia. James was there in a Tampa hospital room when she passed. So were the kids.

He's still there for the kids, even from a distance.

A free agent after being released by the Cardinals, James made certain he got things in order in Naples before pursuing his next NFL stop. He moved his mom into his Naples residence to help raise the kids. A cousin and nephew didn't blink when James asked them to pitch in. All it takes is a phone call for a couple of aunts to stop by.
The Seahawks wanted James to report to training camp Aug. 23. He told them it would have to wait. Aug. 24 was Monday, the first day of school in Naples. Wilson always had taken care of getting the kids to school. Now, it was a responsibility James embraced.

"That was super important for me, to be there for their first day of school," he said. "Then I could go play football."
James was raised by his mother, with heavy influence from his grandmother, Annie Lee, and occasional input from his father, Edward German. Edgerrin was tempted by the drugs and violence in poverty-stricken Immokalee but never yielded to either.

Too often, James has witnessed how the lack of a father figure has affected children, particularly daughters.

"I have daughters and as an African-American, it's really big time to be there for them," he said. "You see girls doin' whatever it takes to get by and a lot of times it's because the father isn't taking care of his responsibilities.

"They're not able to help their daughters along the way and they make a lot of mistakes and they have to pay for those mistakes. I don't want my daughters or my kids to be like that. I want to be there every step of the way and make sure they're raised the right way."

James' future is secure. He has earned more than $75 million during his 11-year career. His kids will have every opportunity to make something of themselves.

"I'm going to put them in the best possible position to have success," he said. "I'll see to that. I'm not going to slack off. I'm not going to miss a beat."

James: the giver
Huey was exposed to James' benevolence whenever he visited Immokalee. He saw the community-wide pitch-ins James orchestrated, how he interacted with the youngsters.

Almost every summer, James takes a busload of kids to Disney World. This summer, he chartered a bus, loaded it with South Florida youngsters and spent a week in Washington, D.C., to commemorate Barack Obama's election as president.

Several years ago, James' compassion hit Huey on a personal level. Huey's mother had died early on a Friday, yet he reported to work later that morning. The topic of the running backs meeting that day revolved around Huey's loss.

At one point, James casually asked how much a funeral cost.

"I said funerals can cost five or 10 thousand dollars," Huey said. "We just sat there and talked some more, then we broke up and got ready for practice. I didn't think much more about it."

Then Huey returned to his office, an envelope was on his desk. Enclosed was a check from James to pay the funeral expenses.

"A sizable check," Huey said.

Huey never cashed the check but kept it as a memento of James' "generosity and heartfelt concern for me.

"He never said another word to me about it. That's the way he operates."

With his priorities straight.

Edge-speak
Some of the more memorable comments from the free-speaking Edgerrin James during his seven-year stint with the Colts:

"The ad people want me to clean up my grammar, my speech, my look, my image. But I've got a saying: 'It's real easy to be me; it's too hard to be someone else.' "
-- 2000, about why he had no desire to get rid of his gold teeth and dreadlocks

"I only went to college for 21/2 years, but I think I know the meaning of the word voluntary."
-- 2001, after being criticized for not participating in the team's voluntary offseason program

"I want my momma to enjoy being able to live. I'm her prayer. I've seen her cry a thousand times. No more."
-- 2001, about taking care of his mother, Julie James

"I'll be a tourist, full time. Just do whatever. You know tourists. They don't know where they're going, but they're having a good time."
-- 2003, about his plans when he retires

"The closest I'm going to get to Tokyo is Benihana."
-- 2005, about his reluctance to accompany the team to Tokyo for a preseason game. He went

"I'm part of the solution; I'm not part of the problem. It's crazy."
-- 2006, when it became clear the Colts would not re-sign him

James: Atop the charts
How Edgerrin James ranks among the Colts' and NFL career leaders:
COLTS
Rushing yards
1. James 9,226
2. Lydell Mitchell 5,487
3. Marshall Faulk 5,320
4. Eric Dickerson 5,194
5. Lenny Moore 5,174

NFL
Rushing yards
1. Emmitt Smith 18,355
2. Walter Payton 16,726
3. Barry Sanders 15,269
4. Curtis Martin 14,101
5. Jerome Bettis 13,662
6. Eric Dickerson 13,259
7. Tony Dorsett 12,739
8. Jim Brown 12,312
9. Marshall Faulk 12,279
10. Marcus Allen 12,243
11. James 12,164



(indystar.com)