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NFL lineman tells how he overcame bullying

When Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive lineman Garrett Gilkey flashed a picture of a small, unintimidating red-haired boy on the screen and made a joke about it, a polite, collective giggle went up from the crowd assembled in a Metea Valley High School classroom.

It was hard to imagine the tiny boy in the snapshot had since transformed into the imposing, 6-foot-6-inch figure standing before them.

Gilkey told the group of roughly 100 students and a handful of teachers, members of the Student Athlete Leadership Team and the Principal's Advisory Board, that he was ridiculed as a young student because of his diminutive stature.

"I was really ostracized from the beginning. It was challenging for a while, feeling isolated, feeling alone," he said.

While he felt the sting of his peers' cruelty, he said he's come to understand its genesis.

"There are reasons that kids act out the way they do," he said. "It's because they're hurting inside."

Gilkey grew up in Naperville. His family moved to Sandwich and he went to Sandwich High School before transferring to Aurora Christian High School.

He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns while attending Chadron State College in Nebraska.

He joined the Buccaneers in September 2014. He is currently on injured reserve after sustaining a serious injury to his left knee during the team's last preseason game against the Miami Dolphins. Surgery is scheduled for next month, he said.

Gilkey said he was unprepared for the royal treatment he received as an NFL player.

"It was a complete culture shock," he said. "The NFL is worshipped in this country. It's worshipped worldwide. It's very self-glamorizing. I remember thinking, 'Why do I deserve this?'"

Gilkey said he was amazed there are people whose job it is to collect his clothes, wash them and put them back in his locker.

"For me, there was this disconnect. The culture I'm in, everything is about me," he said. "It opened my eyes to the ability we have, as athletes, to impact those in need."

So he and one of his teammates got involved with a nonprofit group that washes and dries the clothes of homeless and low-income people at no cost. The organization's efforts are expanding, he said.

This summer, he joined the group on a laundry-washing mission to Las Vegas, where it did 2,000 loads of laundry.

"Material things are so fleeting; it's like chasing after the wind," Gilkey said. "That's one of the things my eyes have been opened to since I've been in the NFL. My greatest joy is found in the joy of other people."

Gilkey was welcomed to Metea Valley by Principal Darrell Echols.

"I've known this gentleman since he was in high school," Echols said. "He came to Hill Middle School a few years ago, before he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns."

Echols asked Gilkey to share his Twitter account ID. Gilkey said it is gagilk73.

Gilkey answered several questions from students after his talk.

One asked how he built up his confidence after being bullied as a child.

Simply growing into a lineman-sized person wasn't the only change that made the difference. He said he's had to learn confidence.

Gilkey said he tries to balance his high level of anxiety with his high level of confidence.

"There are hundreds of people gunning for my position," he said. "If you have that work ethic, you'll be able to accomplish your dreams."

Gilkey said he was helped by empathetic people who bolstered his confidence and gave him inspiring role models to emulate.

"I had people to come alongside me and bring me through," he said.

He encouraged the students to be that person for someone in their sphere of influence.

"Having the opportunity to share with such an influential group of kids is something I really take to heart," Gilkey said. "There's something that's resonated in my life that I want to share with you. That's the true impact you have on each other."

Gilkey encouraged Metea Valley athletes to use their leadership positions to affect change and help the less fortunate.

"The reality is, you have a platform. You have the ability to impact somebody's life," he said. "It's as simple as hanging out with that one person who's by themselves."

  "Material things are so fleeting; it's like chasing after the wind," NFL lineman Garrett Gilkey says. "My greatest joy is found in the joy of other people." Paul Michna/pmichna@dailyherald.com
  Garrett Gilkey is an offensive lineman with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But during a recent visit to Metea Valley High School in Aurora, he told students he was ostracized as a high schooler because he was so small. Paul Michna/pmichna@dailyherald.com
  Garrett Gilkey Paul Michna/pmichna@dailyherald.com
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