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| ExtremeFriday, June 27, 2008 9:29 PM CDT |
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Playing pro football adds up for Extreme's Bryant
BLOOMINGTON — Algebra can be one of those hit-or-miss math entities. The thought of variables, polynomials and factorization can leave some grinning and others asking themselves what good it would ever do them. A.J. Bryant admitted he asked the same question. “What kid goes through school and doesn’t ask that?” the Bloomington Extreme defensive back said. Now, Bryant is answering that question. A gifted athlete blessed with a studious mind, Bryant chose football and teaching as a career path. When he is not tackling wide receivers or defending passes on the gridiron, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound defensive back is teaching ninth-grade algebra at his alma mater, South Sumter High School in Bushnell, Fla. “It’s definitely different,” Bryant said. Bryant spent last season playing for the now-defunct Evansville BlueCats. There, he had a team-leading 71 tackles and ranked second in United Indoor Football with eight interceptions. When the current season began, Bryant was strictly in the classroom, not on the field. With a depleted defensive backfield, the Extreme signed Bryant prior to Week 10. There was one hurdle — the school year was not over. “It was really difficult,” Bryant said. “I had to work it out with my school. It was really strange having to take off a Thursday and Friday and fly up here.” Bryant immediately took the field — without practicing — upon his arrival. “The first half was a little rough for me,” he said of a week 10 game at RiverCity. “Getting back into it was a little rough.” Still, Bryant has made an immediate impact. In three games, he has recorded 16 tackles with one interception. “Not only is he a guy that can pick passes off, he’s a hitter,” Extreme coach Kenton Carr said. “He’s a huge hitter. He creates turnovers because he’ll hit you.” Carr said Bryant is one of those opponents who “people look out for.” “His presence alone can change a game,” he said. “We’re lucky and really glad to have him.” The ability to be a football player has enabled Bryant to gain a celebrity status at school. “You can see the buzz around school,” Bryant said. “All the kids are trying to get in your class. They want to have the cool teacher. They think it’s great. They always ask me, ‘When can we see you play?’ It’s nice.” Having summers off helps, too. “It’s definitely great. You take care of everything in nine months,” Bryant said. “You get all your schooling over with.” That allows Bryant to enjoy this “vacation.” “I don’t have to get up and do anything,” he said. “I don’t do anything until 8 o’clock at night.” Rage at ExtremeWhat: UIF Eastern Conference championship game When: 7:05 p.m., Monday Where: U.S. Cellular Coliseum Records: RiverCity 7-8, Bloomington 7-7 Radio: WTRX-FM (93.7) E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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