Brandon Carr Deserves Our Praise, at Least Off the Field

Let’s be fair today.

We often put the microscope on Greg Hardy’s transgressions or Dez Bryant’s antics or Joseph Randle’s arrests. But not all the Cowboys’ off-field exploits are negative.

Right, Brandon Carr?

I know, the starting cornerback has underperformed on his $50 million contract. He doesn’t have an interception since Thanksgiving of 2013 and the Cowboys would love to convince him to take a pay cut. But off the field, he’s a Pro Bowl performer.

Carr was the team’s nominee for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award, giving back to local fans and his hometown in Michigan.

Through his foundation – Carr Cares – he helped build new reading centers, worked numerous NFL Play 60 events and fed 250 needy families in the DFW Metroplex. He’s also beginning his 5th season with a mentoring program for students at Dallas’ Carter High School and Mark Twain Elementary.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings last week recognized and honored Carr for his expansive community work, and it’s time we did too.

Carr hasn’t been great on the field. But in an NFL littered with Hardy and Johnny Manziel, his character is refreshingly positive. And we shouldn’t take it for granted.

A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.

Copyright FREEL - NBC Local Media
Contact Us