Good article on Griese in the Trib...

[BucsMagicUK]

Link

Meet The Brian Griese You Need To Know
MARTIN FENNELLY
Published: Oct 18, 2004

Everyone always tries to figure him out. That's been Brian Griese's story in the limelight, the famous quarterback son of a famous quarterback father.

People still tried to get a fix on him after his impressive step-in- and-up Bucs debut in New Orleans. Who is Brian Griese? There's a lot to figure out and not much to go on. Griese has thrown up his share of walls.

But there's this:

He's working for free.

True, Griese is making $950,000 in his first Bucs season. But about a year ago, he donated $1 million to his favorite charity.

One million dollars. All at once.

Extraordinary.

How many athletes do that?

How many millionaires do that?

Did you know Brian Griese had?

He wasn't about to tell us.

He didn't do it for publicity.

He did it for something he treasures. He did it for a three-story house in central Denver, where he was once a Bronco. ``That house - that matters,'' Griese said.

Judi's House.

Honoring His Mom
Judi's House is the heart and soul of The Judith Ann Griese Foundation for Grieving Children and Families, started by Brian Griese three years ago and named for his mom, who died in 1988 after a five-year battle with breast cancer, when Brian was 12.

``The concept of the house is to feel the spirit of my mother, the spirit I feel every day,'' Griese said. ``After I played the other day in New Orleans, I got on the bus and the first thing I thought about was my mom, how she was smiling, how she was happy.''

Judi's House opened 2 1/2 years ago. It offers peer support for children ages 3-18 and their families coping with grief from losing a loved one. More than 500 children have come through Judi's doors.

``I'm more proud of what he's done in that house than of anything he ever did on a football field,'' Bob Griese said of his son.

Brian Griese does more than write checks. He built the foundation from scratch. He wrote the mission statement. He attended seminars. He helped design the house's interior. He helped paint it. He helped with the gardening. When he walks into the ``energy'' room at Judi's House, with its padded walls and punching bag, kids pile on. ``They always want to tackle me,'' Griese said with a smile.

And they talk. Griese was in a support group. Him and the kids, talking about loss. He helped them open up. He learned so much from them. He told them about a 12- year-old in Miami whose life was left in two pieces - there was before mom died and after mom died. A boy angry at society for not curing her and angry at God for taking her.

``I knew exactly what the kids were feeling,'' Griese said.

And he told them about Judi.

She Was The Glue
Bob Griese was a star quarterback at Purdue when he met Judith Ann Lassus at a party after an Indiana-Purdue game. They were married in 1967, a week after Bob graduated. They headed for Miami and the Dolphins.

Griese efficiently, quietly made the NFL Hall of Fame. He was never one to show his emotions, not even during the perfect season, or to linger with teammates. He went home to his three boys, Scott, Jeff and the youngest, Brian, born in 1975. He went home to Judi.

``Mom was the glue,'' Brian said.

Mom was the one with a smile for everyone. Mom was the expressive one, who broke down even dad's reserve, revealing his love. Mom was the athlete who batted tennis balls to the boys, who turned their home in Coral Gables into a fairyland every Christmas, making Santa pillows and needlepoint snow scenes. Mom gave and gave, never talking about herself, not even at the end.

``Throughout those five years of pain and suffering, and there were bad days and horrible days, every time I saw her she had a smile for me and my brothers,'' Brian Griese said. ``You could see the pain in her eyes, but she stayed strong for us.''

Ten days before she died, Judi organized a birthday party for her husband. That was Judi. She was bedridden, but she sat on a chaise lounge on the patio to watch. And smile that smile.

Judi Griese died in the middle of the night. Bob Griese told Brian at breakfast. Brian went to his room, closed the door and beat the pillows on his bed. Didn't say a word.

Alone Together
Scott was off at college. Jeff would follow soon enough. So it was really just dad and Brian left at the house.

``I leaned on him and he leaned on me,'' Bob Griese said.

The father knew exactly what his youngest son was feeling. Bob Griese was 10 when his father died of a heart attack. Bob went to his room, sat on a cedar chest and banged his feet against it. Didn't say a word.

``Maybe that's where some of my shyness comes from,'' Bob Griese said. ``I passed it on to Brian, but I'm sure losing his mom added to it.''

The father would look at his 12- year-old. They were both so lost. But they made their way. Bob, ever the methodical Dolphin perfectionist, made Brian's schedule his schedule. He made sure Brian's breakfast was on the table when it was piping hot, not 10 seconds too early, not 10 seconds too late. They visited the cemetery. They wept together. They built a world.

They co-wrote a book about it a few years ago. They dedicated it to Judi. The title, ``Undefeated,'' alludes to Dolphins perfection but is more about family spirit. ``I'm not here without him,'' Brian Griese said of his father. ``I'm nowhere close to where I am.''

And yet ...

``I kept a lot inside, like my dad. I didn't want to put it all on him. He was grieving, too. So there wasn't much of an outlet. ... I know there are kids out there going through the same thing. I don't want them to have to do that. I've internalized a lot. And that hasn't been good for me.''

He knows what people have said about him: He's aloof. He's stand-offish. He doesn't relate to teammates.

``Iwonder if mom had been around,'' Griese said. ``Or if I had the house. Maybe I'd be more expressive, less of an introvert. I'd depend on other people more. ... I built a wall. I'm trying to break it down.''

Brook, whom he married this year, helps.

So does Judi's House.

``When they come to the house, they feel like they're coming over to a friend's,'' Griese said. ``Friends they talk to, confide in. Kids need to talk. They can't keep it inside. Nobody can.''

Starting To Open Up
A framed photograph of Judi Griese hangs in the house her son made happen in Denver. The first time Brian Griese gave his proud father a tour of the house, he handed him Judi's photo and asked him where it should go.

It's Brian's favorite picture of his mom. Just Judi in the kitchen in her apron. Brian likes it so much because his dad took it. Judi was looking at the boy she met at Purdue. That face is so warm.

``It's the look she gave dad a lot, that `I love you with all my heart, but you really are a dork,' '' Brian said with a grin.

Bob Griese, who remarried, hung Judi's photo in the living room at Judi's House. ``But off to the side,'' Brian said. ``Dad thought mom wouldn't want to be out front. She'd want to be in the background, kind of watching over everyone, enjoying them.''

Judi's son dreams of a nationwide network of houses. Judi's son is opening up, finally, sharing his story with children, easing their pain. His, too. Brian Griese wouldn't trade his days at Judi's House. Not for a start in every Bucs game the rest of this season. ``Not for anything,'' he said. Not even a million dollars.

No doubt hes a upstanding person. For that I applaud him. Many people in this league just take thier money and blow it all on them selves. But yes sounds like he is a upstanding person. BUT.. on the other hand. Being upstanding and a kind person does not improve your football skills. People critisizing him as being an unreliable QB and giving him crap for that has nothing to do with his moral character outside the game. Its inside the NFL what matters to the sports writers, and what matters for the Bucs right now. Hopefully he can continue his hot streak in to tonights game, and next weeks game if needed.

He sounds like a good guy,....
Too bad we're gonna break his heart tonight......
Sorry Mom....

Originally Posted by Rambassador

He sounds like a good guy,....
Too bad we're gonna break his heart tonight......
Sorry Mom....

You sure seem like you are sorry

Your Rams are going to get their ***** kicked.