Hines Ward is trading the gridiron for the Ironman.
Hines Ward is trading the gridiron for the Ironman.
The former Pittsburgh Steelers star wide receiver and 2006 Super Bowl MVP is training for the 2013 Kona Ironman championships as part of the “Become One” program sponsored by Refuel’s “Got chocolate milk?” campaign.
The 36-year-old Ward retired after being released by the Steelers last spring. He holds the franchise record with 1,000 career receptions and was selected to the Pro Bowl four times. Ward is one of only two players in NFL history with 1,000 catches and two Super Bowl rings.
Known as one of the most physical players at his position, Ward understands the next 12 months will require a different kind of toughness.
“For 14 years I’ve always kind of put my body on the line, going out there catching passes and blocking and putting my body through hell really each and every Sunday,” Ward said. “For me (the Ironman) is about the learning experience.”
One that will include two amateur athletes who will be selected to train with Ward for the race, which will be documented in the “Become One” web series. Ward expects to go through a culture shock while transitioning from the breakneck pace of the NFL to the steady grind of the Ironman, which requires a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a full 26.2 marathon.
“In the NFL, it’s all about speed,” Ward said. “It’s about going as fast as you can possibly go for five seconds … This is about how hard can I maintain to keep this pace for a long period of time.”
Ward laughs when asked why not start out with something a little smaller, like a plain old marathon. He admits he never ran over a mile during his career and never considered swimming anything other than a recreational activity.
“You’d think I’d start small,” he said with a laugh. “But I’ve always stepped outside the box, kind of put myself in different situations … It could be a life changing moment for me again. Winning the Super Bowl was life-changing. Winning ‘Dancing with the Stars’ was life-changing. Now imagine going through and competing along with two ordinary folks, and we’re experiencing all of this together. It’s going to be a great opportunity.”
Ward said part of the motivation is to showcase the importance of staying fit into retirement. He insists he’s “checking his ego at the door” but knows the competitive juices will be flowing.
“I’ve seen some of these competitions,” he said. “I’ve seen people all shapes and sizes, people of different ages training. If I watch a 50-year-old woman zoom past me, I can’t look at myself like ‘I’ve got to go catch her.’ This is just about being the ultimate endurance athlete.”
Colts’ Pagano ready
for 2nd round of chemo
INDIANAPOLIS — Colts coach Chuck Pagano is ready for his second round of chemotherapy and probably will not return to the team until he completes it.
Interim coach Bruce Arians said doctors are trying to keep Pagano in as sterile environment as possible to prevent the risk of infection.
Pagano was hospitalized Sept. 26 after he was diagnosed with leukemia. He was released from the hospital Sunday and is continuing treatment at home.
The 52-year-old coach has stayed in contact with his players, writing another note to them this week. Arians did not say what was in the note.
Arians said not being around the team is driving Pagano “crazy,” but he feels much better being home.
Arizona’S Johnson
fined $21K for block
NEW YORK — Arizona safety Rashad Johnson was fined $21,000 by the NFL on Friday for an illegal blindside block in the Cardinals’ loss to the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday.
Vikings tight end John Carlson missed Minnesota’s game against Tampa Bay on Thursday night because of concussionlike symptoms that appeared to result from Johnson’s block during a punt.
Detroit cornerback Alphonso Smith was fined $15,750 for his horse-collar tackle on Chicago wide receiver Brandon Marshall in the Lions’ loss Monday night. Smith was called for a penalty, which helped put the Bears in field-goal range. Marshall and fellow Bears receiver Earl Bennett were also docked $10,500 by the league for wearing orange cleats, a violation of the NFL’s uniform policy.
Several other players were fined $7,875 by the league for various penalties, including St. Louis cornerback Cortland Finnegan, who grabbed the facemask of Green Bay’s Jordy Nelson on a tackle last weekend that also drew a call for unnecessary roughness.
Baltimore safety Bernard Pollard drew a similar fine for a facemask penalty on Houston tight end Owen Daniels.
Carolina’s Charles Godfrey was also docked for his low block on Dallas center Phil Costa, who was carted off the field. Panthers coach Ron Rivera signaled for trainers to tend to the Cowboys player immediately after he went down following Miles Austin’s fumble. Godfrey received a personal foul penalty.
Washington offensive lineman Tyler Polumbus was fined for a leg whip on a run play against New York Giants defensive tackle Linval Joseph.
Cleveland linebacker D’Qwell Jackson drew a fine for his late hit on Indianapolis rookie running back Vick Ballard that also drew a personal foul penalty.
San Francisco safety Dashon Goldson was docked $7,875 for taunting — unsportsmanlike conduct — after tackling Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch last Thursday night.
Ex-Giant Taylor wins
teen hotel sex case
NEW YORK — Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor celebrated with a cigar on Friday and pledged to concentrate on his “broken life” after a jury rejected a woman’s claims that he assaulted her by failing to recognize her distress when he had sex with her in a hotel room when she was 16.
The jury in U.S. District Court in Manhattan deliberated for about an hour before siding with Taylor, who appeared relieved as he turned around and gave a thumbs-up to a friend on a court bench behind him. Outside court, Taylor signed a copy of the verdict sheet belonging to his lawyer, Arthur Aidala, and then spoke about his future and his past.
Taylor, who led the New York Giants to Super Bowl titles in 1987 and 1991, said he wanted to go home to Pembroke Pines, Fla., and “concentrate on my own broken life and try to repair that.”
Outside the courthouse, Taylor, whose post-NFL life has been marred by missteps including drug and tax charges, smoked a cigar. When asked what kind, he said, “Redemption.”
The verdict came after a four-day trial in which Taylor testified that he had sex with a “very, very pretty” prostitute in 2010 but denied accusations that he ignored obvious signs she was a teen runaway who had been beaten and forced to meet with him.