Celebrities open up about Manziel, heros, autographs and American Century Celebrity Golf

Three former football players joined the local Rotary clubs for breakfast on Thursday morning, sharing their honest feelings on many subjects from family to Johnny Manziel. Tahoe Douglas Rotary and South Lake Tahoe Rotary Clubs invited Marshall Faulk, Trent Dilfer and Sterling Sharpe to their joint meeting at MontBleu.

On Johnny Manziel

"Johnny Manziel is an analyst's dream," said Hall of Fame wide receiver Sharpe during a question and answer period. "He is going to give us so much to talk about both good and bad," he said in reference to the sports commentary/analyst jobs all three of the players now have. "Sometimes it's okay to duck and you don't have to get hit by everything out there, and Manziel needs to learn that."

Dilfer, the Baltimore Ravens' Superbowl quarterback, said "Manziel is poised, calm and dynamic but he also has a reckless personality," when speaking in reference to the young Cleveland Brown rookie's partying lifestyle which is found often on social media. "Johnny has to hear some hard truths from those that care."

"Everything that gets reported gets repeated," added Sharpe.

On Heroes

Sterling Sharpe, who played for the Green Bay Packers from 1988 to 1994, talked about being raised by his grandparents and was full of great quotes he attributed to his grandfather. "Gramps said, if you think Franco Harris(someone the younger Sharpe looked to as a hero) is doing anything to make you a better person, you've got it wrong."

"Kids will do what they see and repeat what they hear so don't put a sport figure on a pedestal," Sharpe continued. "You see us for three hours a week, that isn't who we are, that's what we do."

Trent Dilfer, a part time Lake Tahoe resident and 14 year football veteran who once played for the San Francisco 49ers, spoke candidly about non-hero like qualities of athletes. "There are a bunch of Hall of Famers here in Tahoe this week that if you get behind their life they won't be so much a hero."

"People who deserve the credit never get it," Sharpe spoke of heroes. "The doctors won't get 80,000 people to watch them in surgery. The firemen will never get 23,000 people to watch them run into a burning building."

On Autograph Seekers During the American Century Tournament

"If we don't sign they hate us," said Sharpe of autograph seekers.

"The tournament people tell us to not sign during the tournament, only when the day is over, so if I tell people 'not right now' they get mad," added Marshall Faulk, the Hall of Fame running back who played for the Colts and Rams.

Sharpe said the Wednesday and Thursday days of the tournament when autograph seekers descend on Edgewood Tahoe are a hard couple of days. "We're trying to play the best golf we can. It's hard to be us because the public doesn't want to hear 'no'. It is fun being here and difficult being here at the same time," said Sharpe.

Dilfer told the group that he travels often with Ray Lewis and Steve Young. "It's like we're Bon Jovi because the fans go crazy."

He added the same sentiment as Sharpe in that Wednesday and Thursday are two of "the hardest days of the year to tolerate people. Steve Young signed hundreds of autographs yesterday and the people just kept pulling out brand new jerseys for him to sign."

All three agreed that the fans can be relentless in their pursuit of an autograph, even when tournament rules say the athletes cannot sign. They said that they need to focus on playing their best game of golf and are treated differently than if they were at a professional golf tournament. "You don't see people running after Tiger Woods in between holes," said Faulk.

Faulk said that fans watch them during their careers from a stadium which puts a lot of distance between player and spectator. "When you play golf you're right next to them. They aren't as accustomed to being that close to the players and they get excited."

"When I golf at home I can get upset and throw a club," said Faulk, "Here I can't because everyone is watching."

Best Moments of Their Lives

"There are two moments that I consider the best of my life," said Faulk. "The first was the day I was drafted and the second was when I was considered for the Hall of Fame." He said that the NFL draft is the best reality TV show one will ever see. "Every year I relive that dream. That day changed my life and my family's life."

Sharpe echoed the same moment. "Being drafted was the only time in my athletic career that I exhaled," he said. "I said then, I have arrived and accomplished my dream." Referring to his grandfather again, Sharpe said "a dream is something you give to yourself."

"I wanted to be that guy that people would pass in the street and say 'that guy was a son of a gun player,'" Sharpe said.

Dilfer said that many things are the best moments in his life. He told of a story that happened in week 11 against the Titans during his Super Bowl year. "We were marching down the field and just yards away from the end zone to tie the game when I threw an interception and it was returned for a touchdown. It was a long walk across the field to our bench and I was greeted by my coach who was livid. Shannon Sharpe (Sterling's brother and Dilfer's teammate) told me 'you got this, you're going to erase all of your demons, we got this.'"

During their next possession they scored and Dilfer threw a touchdown pass to Sharpe to win the game with 35 seconds left.

Dilfer uses this story and others when he talks to kids. "I want to help the next generation on to not do the stupid things on the field that I did."

"I've had incredible lows and incredible highs," Dilfer added.

On the 25th American Century Golf Championship

"We live and everything we do is about competing," said Dilfer. "It's everything we are and the galleries think we're just going out to have fun." He spoke of the big gap between what the spectators want and what they golfers are doing on the course.

"There are three types of competitors," continued Dilfer. "People who live to complete which is us. People who love to compete and most people who just like to go out and play."

Sharpe confirmed this. "You don't lose wanting to do your best. We try to play golf better than anyone else can do anything else."

On Life

"The best day of my life and the worst day of my life were the same day, the day my grandfather died," Sharpe said of the impact the man who raised him had on his life. "I realized my dream to play football and lost the best things that happened to me."

When asked if they ever get to enjoy Lake Tahoe when they're not in town for the tournament, Sharpe said no, its just too far to travel when taking some down time (from his home in South Carolina and the multiple modes of travel involved). Faulk said his kids love to ski and snowboard at Heavenly Valley, even though he hates the snow. "I'm a professional lodger," he said.

Since Dilfer who has had a home for 16 years in Incline Village, does get to enjoy the region. He, his wife and three daughters spend time on their boat in Sand Harbor. "When I need to get away from a houseful of girls I'll hit the golf course."