Cards' Dockett dedicates Atlanta game to slain mother

[TdotFalcon]

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Darnell Dockett spews out so many Twitter messages, it's hard to keep up.

One this week, though, in advance of Arizona's game at Atlanta on Sunday, was special.

It read: "I think I'm going to dedicate sunday game to my MOM she was killed when I was 13 I might cry B4 the game."

Dockett returned to his Decatur, Ga., home that day to find his mother shot to death in the head, a crime that never has been solved. He went to live with his father, who died a few months later of pancreatic cancer. An uncle is credited with saving him, helping him avoid a life of drugs and crime on the street.

"Every time I go into that city, even when I was in college (for Florida State) at Georgia Tech, when I went to Atlanta it was a big thing for me to do well in those games. ... That's where my life really started, there's so much tragedy there."

Dockett said Wednesday that he will go back to his old neighborhood this weekend and round up 20 or so youngsters and "take them shopping."

Even though he's an imposing 6-foot-4, 290 pounds of muscle, he won't go alone.

"It's like one of the roughest neighborhoods," he said. "I'll definitely go out there with some of my boys I'm real close with because it's crazy like that. We'll just go out there and reach out to the young kids, take them shopping and keep them out of trouble and just show them -- stay in school and do all the positive things because when I was in school no one ever came back and showed that. It was always the drug dealers and always the bad stuff."

He also wants to find the neighbor who "called the police on me everyday when I was 12" and give her a ticket to the game.

"Bring her to the 50yd line row2," he tweeted.

Dockett also wants his fifth-grade teacher there, because she said he would amount to nothing, although his Twitter message used a much stronger word than "nothing."

"To go back and show people that things are possible. Good things are out there," Dockett said Wednesday. "You shouldn't count somebody out. It's a big game for me and I hope that I can get in touch with them, even though I know they won't come because I think their ego will kick in. It would be much more than a privilege just to show them what I've done with my life and to look at them and see what thieve done with theirs and it's probably nothing."

Dockett, who recently signed a four-year, $48 million contract extension with $30 million guaranteed, took a shot to the head Sunday in the Cardinals' 21-17 victory at the St. Louis Rams.

"I'm built like a truck. That don't really bother me. I'm all right," he said. "I just got the lights knocked out of me for a quick second, but I'm OK."

Dockett got himself in a little trouble with the NFL when he sent a Twitter message 20 minutes before kickoff of last Sunday's game at St. Louis. The league prohibits "tweets" within 90 minutes of kickoff.

It was a one-word message.

"Amen."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

In other news, DE Kroy Biermann dedicates next game to Mike Smith's pulled hamstring.

Edited September 16, 2010 by TdotFalcon

[Dawg4life9228]

Great to see a class-act guy in the league like Dockett instead of another ego-maniac selfish player like most of the league.

[didz]

Well get your chin strap ready Harvey.

[Tax-Falcon]

Great to see a class-act guy in the league like Dockett instead of another ego-maniac selfish player like most of the league.

Uh, Dockett's not too classy.

[unconquered.]

Great to see a class-act guy in the league like Dockett instead of another ego-maniac selfish player like most of the league.

You're joking right? This is the same guy Greg Jones beat up for molesting freshmen at FSU. Dock is in no way classy. He is quite an a-hole.

I appreciate what he is doing don't get me wrong but Darnell is a punk plain and simple.

Edited September 16, 2010 by Cody #53

[Tandy]

He tweeted after Sundays game:

OMG!!!!! My body feels like Precious Fell on ME!! Wtf I can't even Move!! "My neck! my back!, my neck and my back" o_O 9:08 AM Sep 13th via ÜberTwitter Retweeted

by you and 35 others

I tweeted back:

Darnell - I think you should take next Sunday off - rest and relax - We won't tell

Then I tweeted:

Oh Darnell - you should invite Fitx to take the day off and relax with you as well so he don't risk that knee- We won't tell.

[Jimsmusic™]

he gonna be offsides again all game so refs wont call it either?

[The Falcon Jedi]

That's just great. A Pro-Bowl NT out to play with a vengeance against us this Sunday. He'll probably end up with 3 sacks, a forced fumble, and 10 tackles.

God bless his Mother, but I wish he had picked last week's game to dedicate to.

[paulitik]

I work with his best friend and one of his exes here in DC. Interesting guy to say the least.

Edited September 16, 2010 by paulitik

[DavyDmx]

That's just great. A Pro-Bowl NT out to play with a vengeance against us this Sunday. He'll probably end up with 3 sacks, a forced fumble, and 10 tackles.

God bless his Mother, but I wish he had picked last week's game to dedicate to.

Our team will be motivated as well coming off that narrow loss in Pittsburgh.

[PureRealFootballHead]

Reading that article....seems like he rubbing his success in people faces. No matter what been said to you or about you...keep it classy at all times. Anybody can fall from the top. Don’t mess with Karma!

[PureRealFootballHead]

....these days, d** your boys....better get real security.

[papachaz]

He tweeted after Sundays game:

OMG!!!!! My body feels like Precious Fell on ME!! Wtf I can't even Move!! "My neck! my back!, my neck and my back" o_O 9:08 AM Sep 13th via ÜberTwitter Retweeted

by you and 35 others

I tweeted back:

Darnell - I think you should take next Sunday off - rest and relax - We won't tell

Then I tweeted:

Oh Darnell - you should invite Fitx to take the day off and relax with you as well so he don't risk that knee- We won't tell.

Tandy you are just TOO COOL! lmao that is great

[Cardinal2010]

You're joking right? This is the same guy Greg Jones beat up for molesting freshmen at FSU. Dock is in no way classy. He is quite an a-hole.

I appreciate what he is doing don't get me wrong but Darnell is a punk plain and simple.

Dude what the heck does this have to do with the fact that the man is dedicating this game to his mother? He is a class act, so don't go and post stuff about his past just to knock him.

Edited September 18, 2010 by Cardinal2010

[Cardinal2010]

Reading that article....seems like he rubbing his success in people faces. No matter what been said to you or about you...keep it classy at all times. Anybody can fall from the top. Don’t mess with Karma!

Well he lost BOTH of his parents. I see what kind of fans the Falcons have running around here. Flat out rude and disrespectful with the exception of a few. You are right anybody can fall from the top but the fact that he lost both of his parents, and made it successfully to the pros speaks volume. Nobody to guide him in the direction he went in. You are just sad and bitter.

[The_ATL]

He probably shouldn't have set himself up for failure like that, sorry mom.

[youngbloodz]

Dude what the heck does this have to do with the fact that the man is dedicating this game to his mother? He is a class act, so don't go and post stuff about his past just to knock him.

Cody is a fan of FSU so he would know a little about Dockett. And he isn't a class act. I played against Dockett and know a lot of ex 'Noles players. He isn't classy. So why even tell that lie?

[Goal Line D]

Well get your chin strap ready Harvey.

^^^THIS

That's just great. A Pro-Bowl NT out to play with a vengeance against us this Sunday. He'll probably end up with 3 sacks, a forced fumble, and 10 tackles.

God bless his Mother, but I wish he had picked last week's game to dedicate to.

^^^^ & THIS

[Cardinal2010]

He probably shouldn't have set himself up for failure like that, sorry mom.

*smh* *smh* Sad! I want to see how it would feel when you lose your mother.

Cody is a fan of FSU so he would know a little about Dockett. And he isn't a class act. I played against Dockett and know a lot of ex 'Noles players. He isn't classy. So why even tell that lie?

So why post stuff about someone's frikkin past dude?

[5 to the squad]

dockett is a piece of ****. even the most hardened criminals have soft spots for their mom. that doesn't give him "class" dudes a POS for real.

[freebird587]

wow...this got ugly real quick...its plain to see that this city brings back some hurtful memories for him,and he just wants to go back and talk to some kids...everyone matures,and how he might have acted in the past doest mean he hasnt learned from mistakes...we ALL have...well,maybe not by some of the posts -_-

[The Falcon Jedi]

Cant wait to see him jump off-sides and take a handoff from Ryan again. I would hope if he tries that crap in the Dome that the refs will call him off-sides this time.

[youngbloodz]

wow...this got ugly real quick...its plain to see that this city brings back some hurtful memories for him,and he just wants to go back and talk to some kids...everyone matures,and how he might have acted in the past doest mean he hasnt learned from mistakes...we ALL have...well,maybe not by some of the posts -_-

I have never got beaten up because I molested someone. And in his tweets he is saying he wants to find the people that thought low of him and rub his success in their faces. That isn't being mature.