FRISCO (105.3 The Fan) - Three-time Super Bowl champion and five-time Cowboys Pro Bowl safety Darren Woodson is walking with me around the shops and restaurants that dot The Star in Frisco, on his way to a business lunch. We are just a few feet away from the Woodson shrine that commemorates his inclusion in the franchise's Ring of Honor when I toss at him a semi-snarky probe.
After 14 years with ESPN, why did he decide to leave the network?
"Everything I've said about how great it was is true, and everything I've said about how challenging TV was is true, too,'' Woodson says before expanding his chest with a deep breath and then letting it all out. "But, Fish ... The travel! And being away from home! It just wasn't worth it anymore, on a personal level or a financial level. It just wasn't worth it.''
After 12 NFL seasons as a centerpiece of Dallas' Super Bowl defense, Woodson a decade-and-a-half ago decided to take a TV tryout. He was an instant hit at ESPN, partly because of his credentials and his charisma. But mostly, as I tell him as we walk, because he was a credible and reasonable voice in a world whether incredible screamers is the norm.
"They do ask some guys to comment on every story, whether there is real expertise or not,'' Woody says. "That was never asked of me, and I'm glad. The whole experience, as I wrote in my goodbye, was wonderful.''
Woody's goodbye, in a post on ESPN Front Row, reads like this:
"As the show began, I immediately realized something about my new job: This isn't easy," Woodson wrote.
"For the previous 12 NFL seasons, I excelled on the field – a craft that came … easy. Now I faced a new challenge – one that gave me an immense level of respect for everyone at ESPN who makes television happen. From camera operators and researchers to show producers, the list goes on and on. These are the talented individuals who put me in a position to be successful the past 14 years.
"I am even more appreciative of these friends and co-workers today than I was on that first day as a rookie analyst. That's what makes this decision so difficult. ... As I conclude this unforgettable chapter of my life, I thank everyone at ESPN for their friendship and for the knowledge they imparted on me, and for making my experience as an NFL analyst with the company so enjoyable.
"Television never came easy. Not on the first day – not on the last day, but it was always so much fun. Looking around and seeing the incredible effort of the ESPN team always pushed me to be the best I could be.
"To every person at ESPN who helped me along the way, I thank you."
One of Darren's greatest challenges was personal. The schedule demanded that he leave DFW every Wednesday for a flight to Bristol, Conn., where he'd put in his research and studio time before returning home on Saturday ... just in time to do more research on football Sundays and Mondays.
"I'm not complaining, but that's tough on family life,'' Woody says.
Woodson's first three children are college-age or older now. But he's remarried, to Tiffany, and they a young child. He's focused on making sure he's "not too busy'' to do the right thing there -- and Woodson, who deserves far more recognizing for being Hall of Fame worthy, is very much about trying to do it right. He did so as a player; a defensive leader on the Cowboys' three Super Bowl-winning teams of the 1990s, Woodson was a five-time Pro Bowler, and three-time first-team All-Pro.
And now he's doing so in a variety of business pursuits, maybe most notably in the area of commercial real estate in North Texas. ESRP is the firm, and it has deep ties in this community and with the Cowboys, too. Roger Staubach and Emmitt Smith have been involved with this firm, which is based in Frisco, Texas, where Cowboys headquarters is located. That's right; Woody's office is inside The Star, just down the hall from the Joneses. Clients include UPS, 7/11 and Mattress Firm, with Woodson serving as an executive vice president.
"I'm right here at The Star,'' Woodson says, waving his arm back toward One Cowboys Way before sitting down to lunch. "No more travel. No more airplanes. I stay in Dallas and I can almost walk to work!''
