It's part of the business."įriday afternoon, the Packers made the news official. The news first appeared Friday morning on the Twitter feed for Woodson's winery - "Thank you Green Bay it was a great run!" - and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted a short time later that Carl Poston, Woodson's agent, told him "They're getting ready to release him. The Packers have released defensive back Charles Woodson after he spent seven years in Green Bay. He grew up.Woodson won a Super Bowl with the Packers. He’s back because he worked his way back. “Building that team the first few years I was in Oakland and the guys with (coach Jon) Gruden and the guys they brought in “… finally getting to a playoff game and then a championship game and then, finally, the Super Bowl “… and then you don’t win it? That was a tough, tough pill to swallow.”Ĭ-Wood is older and wiser and back in the big game. “I knew how hard the process was,” he said at a news conference last week. He was at the Super Bowl as a Raider eight years ago and clearly appreciates what it takes to get there. Woodson’s star will rise higher this week as the Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers are blitzed by media. His impact on a game is no less than that of Troy Polamalu or Ray Lewis. He makes more plays than any other corner. While observers rave about the skills of such cornerbacks as Nnamdi Asomugha and Darrelle Revis, Woodson is the reigning defensive player of the year. After 17 interceptions in eight seasons in Oakland, C-Wood has 30 in five seasons in Green Bay. He’s a very good cover corner, an outstanding creator of turnovers and the best tackling cornerback in football. Woodson’s exalted status is the result of personal maturity and football production. Jim Doyle as the keynote speaker at the Wisconsin Democratic Party convention in 2009. Everybody listens to the guy who introduced Gov. He’s a leader on and off the field and an unofficial assistant to defensive coordinator Dom Capers, tutoring younger teammates. He’s now married (April), with a young son, Charles Jr.Īt 34, Woodson has balance in his life. He curtailed his nocturnal wanderings, took piano lessons and got involved in a serious relationship. He became attentive in meetings, more involved studying video. After signing a seven-year contract worth $52.7 million in April 2006 and after slowly adjusting to his new surroundings, the new Packer rededicated himself to his craft. Yet the place has been Woodson’s salvation. The definition of a wake-up call in the NFL is hearing that Green Bay is the only team interested in you. Woodson had no choice, though, because his years in Oakland branded him as a high-maintenance, low-commitment talent unwilling to challenge himself. Largely because he’s in Green Bay, a place he initially resisted. Let’s just say Woodson’s inability to stay healthy in Oakland - he missed 13 games over his final two seasons before leaving as a free agent in 2006 - might have been related to his affinity for the night life and his indifference toward fitness.Īnd now, he’s a role model, equal parts ability and dedication, the quintessential professional. Yet he was selected to four Pro Bowls as a Raider. Cops knew him almost as well as the bartenders, who knew him almost as well as the ladies. As a Raider, Woodson was arrested at least twice, once while reeking of booze in the back seat of a woman’s car - at 4:20 in the morning. His production, though inconsistent, was in defiance of his libertine off-the-field exploits.
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