By Taylor Nigrelli
Sports Editor
As has been abundantly clear throughout its history, football is a violent game.
Each play produces multiple, high-speed collisions. Players do their best to make sure their opponents feel each hit.
Defensive backs nail receivers coming over the middle of the field, defensive linemen and linebackers chase down the quarterback and try to take him down before he can get rid of the ball and the only way for blockers and offensive linemen to stop the defense from achieving its goal is to hit them even harder. Violence is everywhere.
Some speculate the violent nature of the game leads to the major off-the-field troubles NFL players find themselves in. It’s believed that the violent nature of the game should be blamed for the off-field behavior of men such as Michael Vick and Adam “Pacman” Jones.
Perhaps in some cases, this may be true. But in other cases, it is not.
Off the field, Buffalo Bills linebacker (he’ll be a free agent this offseason) Arthur Moats isn’t violent or aggressive. He is personable, charming and energetic. But, more than any of that, he’s a caring member of the Western New York community.
Moats had always had a passion for volunteer work. Growing up the child of two pastors in Portsmouth Va., he would join his parents in passing out food to the needy as early as the age of five. These early experiences helped shape Moats’ view of his responsibility to those he viewed as the less-fortunate.
“From then on, it was always instilled in me that when you’re in a position to give back and help out, you should,” Moats said.
Moats spent the day on St. Bonaventure’s campus last Saturday. He agreed to pay the school a visit after 2,000 faculty members, students and alumni pledged to become mentors in their respective communities through the United Way. As the Buffalo Bills United Way spokesman, Moats said he was looking for ways to educate people about volunteer opportunities in Western New York.
“I was looking for ways to raise awareness, and I felt St. Bonaventure was a school with a lot of promise, a lot of people who have big hearts for the community,” Moats said. “I felt that by me teaming up with St. Bonaventure, we could do a lot of good in the community.”
Moats kicked off the day by discussing the Buffalo Bills’ role in community relations in a presentation to more than 100 students and faculty in the Swan Business Building.
His traveling companion, Dan McCarthy, ’10, ’12, a Buffalo Bills community relations office employee, gave a presentation on the various volunteer work Moats and his teammates do in the Western New York area.
Then, it was Moats’ turn to speak, and the fun began. Moats gave a short background on his life and some of the work he does. He told stories of overcoming adversity and urged students to place academics above all else.
He then opened up the floor for questions of any kind. This is where his charisma, charm and warm personality shined through most of all.
He answered every question the audience asked, save for one from his young daughter on which one of his children was his favorite. The inquiries ranged from football-related to asking for advice, to his personal volunteer experience.
The questions Moats seemed to enjoy most came from the few children who were in attendance while he brought his own children out in front of the crowd on multiple occasions. This does not come as a surprise to anyone who knows Moats, much of his volunteer work focuses on mentoring young people.
“Children are going to lead this nation into the future,” Moats said. “At this age, they’re very vulnerable. There are a lot of things that can distract them, a lot of things that can be bad examples. Any time you can directly impact the kids, I feel like that’s going to have a greater impact on them.”
After the event, Moats attended St. Bonaventure’s men’s basketball homecoming game against Dayton. This doesn’t come as news to anyone who attended the game as Moats made his presence known to the Reilly Center crowd.
After starting the game in regular seating, Moats made his way down to the student section and rambunctiously cheered on the Bonnies as if this wasn’t his first time on campus. Moats’ passion for the game stemmed from his surprise in how quickly the St. Bonaventure community was able to meet his United Way challenge.
“Seeing how they come together and seeing how the alumni and faculty and staff, they all conjoin for the similar cause of raising volunteerism and ultimately helping educate kids— not in any part of the world, but right here in New York,” Moats said. “So when I saw that turnout, it really surprised me.
“When I saw that, I definitely wanted to come and give back. I wanted to come and talk to the kids. At the same time, I wanted to stay for the game and be able to interact with the students and just let them know that I really care about them.”
And that’s the key with Moats: he cares. Not just about his family, his team and his friends. But also about his community, including people he’s never met. Once, while volunteering for the American Red Cross, he donated enough time and money to help a Buffalo family live comfortably after they lost all their possessions in a house fire.
So, caring about strangers is nothing new to Moats. He likely knew no one in the student section before Saturday’s basketball game, but it’s doubtful many of the students will soon forget his passion and enthusiasm. Especially consideringit was displayed while watching a team he had no stake in play while jumping around with a bunch of people he had never met before.
Moats may never again return to St. Bonaventure. He also may never play in the NFL again. But he won’t stop volunteering, and he won’t stop touching lives. Football hasn’t defined Moats’ journey, just as it hasn’t defined his character.
Long after he’s retired and many of higher-performing teammates have been forgotten by the masses, Moats will still make a positive impression on people, one school visit at a time.
