For athletic, altruistic and arithmetical reasons, we believe the Packers should negotiate to keep veteran wide receiver Donald Driver.
Most of you know the statistics. In 13 seasons with the Packers, Driver has caught 735 passes for 10,060 yards and 59 touchdowns. Last week, Driver scored the only Packer touchdown and, during a confounding season that saw the Packers’ elite receiving corps develop a late season case of the dropsies, he consistently showed up with sure hands.
Beyond his own physical abilities, Driver offers the truly valuable though less trackable ability to make his teammates better. The wily receiver still runs strong routes and is not afraid to throw a block. He conducts himself with both class and exuberance on the field and dedication in the locker room.
Once homeless himself, he and his wife Betina work hard to support the Driver Foundation, which funds local charities in Mississippi, Texas and Wisconsin. The Packers and the state of Wisconsin could not have benefitted from two more gracious ambassadors.
My husband Vince and I went to a small cocktail party earlier this season featuring Donald. The party was scheduled from 6:30 to 9 p.m. and we figured Donald would make an appearance and then politely excuse himself. Instead, he pulled up a chair and stayed to chat for an hour and a half beyond the allotted time. In fact, when we left at 10:30, he lingered behind and may have been the last guest to leave. Donald addressed his contract situation that night and made it clear, as he has in every conversation since, that, while his first preference is to stay with the Packers, he definitely plans to keep playing.
Nice guys get traded all the time in the NFL and everyone sighs a little and understands it’s a business decision. But we honestly believe that this particular nice guy still has a lot to offer the Packers and we know he still has a lot of offer the Green Bay community.
Keep Donald Driver in a Packer uniform. It just makes good business sense.
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| This picture is from the Evening of Elegance fundraiser. Left to right are Vince, Donald Driver, Greg Jennings and myself, grinning like a nut because I know that’s probably the coolest caption I’ll ever get to write involving Vince and me. |
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| This is the third in a series of children’s books Donald has written. The others are Quickie Makes the Team and Quickie Handles a Loss. Highly recommended. |