Former Jets Player and SportsNet New York (SNY) sports analyst Erik Coleman visited with the Walt Whitman High School football program recently to share his experiences as a high school football player who then went on to play in college and eventually the NFL. After the JV and varsity teams worked out in the weight room on September 10th, they gathered in the forum to talk football and ask questions.
After playing college ball at Washington State, Coleman was drafted by the NY Jets in 2004. The safety then moved on to play for the Atlanta Falcons in 2008, and finished his career with the Detroit Lions in the 2011-2012 football season. He is now part of the on-air SNY team using his on-field experience to provide sports analysis on several of the network’s shows including “Jets Post Game Live!” and “Jets Nation.”
Now Coleman is happy to pay it forward to younger generations of football players. “I think it's important for kids to be able to see someone who was once in their shoes. Because I'm no different than they are. I grew up with the same obstacles they did, but I was able to be blessed and stay healthy and be focused and have the right breaks to make it as a professional athlete,” said Coleman.
Walt Whitman Varsity Football coach Robin Rosa says it’s invaluable for his players to hear from someone who's been where they are. “He’s someone who's gone through it and it wasn't an easy path for him to get to the NFL,” said Rosa. “But it’s not only about the NFL. It's about life. He talks about the academic part and how it wasn't a perfect life for him growing up. His mother was not present so his grandmother was a big part of his support. He talks about how at every step of his life, there was someone there for him.”
Both Rosa and Coleman acknowledge that while a lot of the players are hoping to one day go on to play college ball and aspire to a career in the NFL, that won’t be the reality for some of them. It’s for that reason that Coleman’s main message for the high school players is to enjoy the moment. “Don't put too much pressure on yourself,” said Coleman. “When I think back to my best years of football, it was right here in high school. It was literally the most fun I ever had playing football, and those friends that I made playing high school football are still friends to this day. It’s something I don't want them to take for granted.”
Coach Rosa understands that love of football. He’s played since high school, and as Whitman’s coach he was named a New York Jets Coach of the Week, Suffolk County Football Coach of the Year, Rutgers Trophy winner, Newsday’s Suffolk County Coach of the Year, and National Football Foundation Coach of the Year - all in 2021 when the Wildcats won the Suffolk County title for the first time. While winning on the field is the primary goal of any team, Rosa and his coaches want their players to learn to be successful in life. “I might have these guys for two hours a day during practice, but in those two hours, we hope that we make some kind of impression. Some of these young men don't always have role models. I hire coaches who are role models. They're teachers. They're almost like parent figures. That's why when you get a guy like Erik Coleman coming to talk, I think another voice is important,” said Rosa.
After sharing his story of how nervous he was waiting until the fifth round of the NFL draft to finally be picked by the Jets, Coleman encouraged the students to put a ton of energy toward their football goals but to put that same energy into everything else. “Discipline, making the right decisions, it all carries over. And the principles and the characteristics that you attain playing football - the accountability, the hard work, the dedication, the studying, the competitiveness - all of that translates into the real world. It just keeps giving back to me,” said Coleman.
Coach Rosa hopes his team finds some inspiration in Coleman’s story, but admits “it might not hit everyone. But if you change five lives, then, yeah, we did good.”
A special thank you to Louis Kleet of Kleet Lumber Co. and Troy Kollmer of First Choice Contracting for helping make Erik Coleman’s visit possible.
(left to right) Senior QB Dylan Kollmer, NY Jets former safety Erik Coleman, Senior RB/LB Matt Gervasio, Senior OL/DL Xavier Ali, and Varsity Football Head Coach Robin Rosa.
Coleman pays it forward to younger generations of football players at Walt Whitman, speaking with the JV and varsity teams in the high school forum.
Senior football players from Whitman's varsity team presented Coleman with Walt Whitman football swag as a thank you gift.