by Kent Sterling

Indianapolis Colts middle linebacker Gary Brackett will become a free agent just after midnight tonight if not resigned by then.  There is no one more adept at determining the value of a player as he becomes able to test the waters and make the big bucks he deserves than Colts President Bill Polian.  The Colts draft linebackers in mid-to-late rounds or sign them as undrafted free agents.  Then, Polian lets them leave to make major bucks elsewhere.

Cato June, David Thornton, and Marcus Washington are three of the guys he has recently allowed to leave for greener (in terms of money) pastures.  Polian is so good at finding linebackers to plug-in that the Colts never miss a beat as they shuttle a new guy in almost every year.  At some point though, you are going to let the wrong guys leave.  Maybe one of the reasons those other linebackers have been so easily replaced is the Brackett has been there to tutor the new guys like Phillip Wheeler and Clint Session to make sure they are ready to be productive.

But Gary Brackett is so much more than what he brings to his position.  He is a superb middle linebacker who should have been named all-pro several times at this point in his career.  He is quick to the gap, and can cover a little bit too.  Brackett is the unquestioned leader of the defense willing to do what’s necessary to get the job done.  If he weren’t that kind of guy, there’s no way he would ever have made the team as an undrafted rookie out of Rutgers.  There is no way he would have been named the starting middle linebacker in his third year.  There is no way he would have found himself with 99+ tackles in each of the past five seasons.  And there is no way he would have started the Impact Foundation.

The Mission of Gary Brackett’s IMPACT Foundation is to promote health, to advance education, and to relieve the poor, distressed and underprivileged by providing resources and opportunities to children, including children who are mentally challenged, physically challenged, socially disadvantaged, or economically disadvantaged.

He is far beyond a figure-head.  He is there at meetings, in the hospitals, and driving the work of the foundation.  He saw a need in the community, and he figured out a way to attack it.  Brackett is more than an excellent player for the best Indianapolis Colts teams we are likely to see.  He is a community leader, the kind of citizen that gives a good name to a league in need of positive role models.  He makes Indianapolis a better place to live at a time when the people in Indy have tired of the idiots and cowards who believe that fame is best used firing guns, mistreating women, and making it rain at strip clubs.

What does Gary want to do in his spare time?  He likes to take his girlfriend to the movies.  When 1070 – The Fan asked Gary to join Kravitz & Eddie once a week during the season to talk football, he asked for nothing more than two tickets to the theater nearest his house.  We did better than that, but by the standards of what agents will ask for, he was poorly compensated.  Brackett is not driven by greed.  He is driven by good.

Do yourself a favor, take a look at Brackett’s stats at http://www.nfl.com/players/garybrackett/profile?id=BRA070078.  Then, look through the website dedicated to Gary Brackett’s Impact Foundation at http://garybrackett.org.  After seeing both, tell me there is a linebacker in the world that looks better in blue and white.

In some measure, that selflessness requires a reward, and the Colts know that.