Philadelphia Eagles to honour Brian Dawkins in the game against New York Giants – NFL News
Philadelphia Eagles have decided to honour safety, Brian Dawkins, on September 30, 2012, at Lincoln Financial Field in the game against New York Giants.
Dawkins announced retirement from the National Football League (NFL) after playing for 16 years on Monday, April 23.
Out of the 16 seasons Dawkins played, 13 were spent at Philadelphia while he played his last three seasons with Denver Broncos.
Dawkins joined Eagles in 1996 and parted ways with the franchise in 2008. When he left the team, he was the franchise’s all-time leader in terms of the number of games played. Not only that, he also recorded franchise-best 34 interceptions during his association
with Eagles.
Furthermore, he was named to the Pro Bowl squad seven times while he was selected for the All-Pro five times during those 13 years.
Dawkins, 38, will return to Philadelphia on Saturday to meet his team.
Eagles’ owner, Jeffrey Lurie, has announced that the franchise will honour the safety in a way he deserves. While appreciating the player’s qualities, he said:
"Off the field, it is no secret that Brian was a fan-favourite. But as much as the fans loved him, I can tell you that he loved them back with equal intensity. His transformation from a mild-mannered, humble man during the week to an energized, ferocious,
spark plug on gamedays was evidence of that.”
The owner added:
“We have been working with Brian for a few weeks and look forward to honouring him in front of our fans as one of the greatest Eagles ever when we play the Giants on September 30th.”
Meanwhile, Eagles’ head coach, Andy Reid, has also praised the player, saying that Dawkins was the most dedicated and the hardest working player he had ever coached.
Reid said of Dawkins:
“He poured everything he could into doing whatever was best for his teammates and this organisation.”
Reid also said that Dawkins was the unquestioned leader of the Eagles’ defence.
On the other hand, Dawkins has rubbished the reports claiming that he will call off his retirement. He has asserted that he reached the decision after careful consideration of different matters and said that his decision is final.
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