Brian Dawkins played in the NFL for 16 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Denver Broncos. He is regarded as one of the best safeties of all time and also served as an Executive of Football Operations for Player Development with the Birds in 2016-2017.
These days, Brian has taken on another role as a kidney health ambassador in partnership with Boehringer & Lilly’s to raise awareness for chronic kidney disease.
Showbiz Cheat Sheet caught up with Dawkins to find out more about that role, how he celebrated the Eagles’ Super Bowl win in New Orleans, and the upcoming NFL season.
Why it was so important for Dawkins to join the It Takes 2 campaign
More than 35 million people in the U.S. have kidney disease. However, 90% are unaware of their condition as there may be no symptoms until the disease progresses to more advanced stages.
Dawkins elaborated on the It Takes 2 health initiative and why it was so important for him to get involved.
“As an athlete, some of us take that into our post-career, post-life after football. So I’m very proactive still with my health,” he explained. “There are two conditions that the [Boehringer & Lilly’s] campaign speaks about and that’s type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, which both of my parents have.
“So once I found this information out, I found out that the It Takes 2 campaign basically is this: It takes you and your doctor and it takes two tests; a blood and a urine test. And those tests can help you see if you’re going down a path toward chronic kidney disease or cardiovascular risks as well.
“I got this information over to my parents and their caregivers to make sure they get these tests done, which they have. Now, I have the opportunity with my platform to speak about this. And the thing that I’ll say is that if what I just said brings someone to your mind, then they need to hear this information. I would tell you to ask them to go to TestYourKidneys.com for more information and other questions you may have.”
How Dawkins celebrated the Eagles’ Super Bowl victory in New Orleans
Over the last several months, Dawkins has traveled to raise awareness about CKD, which included participating in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and some of the festivities in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX.
So how did he celebrate in the Big Easy when his former team won?
Dawkins watched the win from his hotel room.
“I stayed in the room out of the combustion and all the hoopla,” he said. “I watched it in the privacy of my room [and] I enjoyed the effort. I enjoyed the play. I enjoyed the dominance of that game.
“There was literally a peace about the whole second half, and I really loved it. I loved it.”
The Eagles player BDawk thinks will be hard to replace, and how many games the Birds will win this year
After the Philadelphia Eagles lost so many players this offseason, Dawkins shared who might be the most difficult to replace.
“When he’s playing at his optimal level because of how much they pressure, it might be [Darius] Slay on the outside. People don’t understand when he’s playing to his absolute best … he and Quinyon [Mitchell] were battling for that No. 1 spot when they’re both playing at their highest levels.
“It’s gonna be tough to add someone who has that potential. Now, I’m not saying that they don’t already have that. Maybe they already have it, we just don’t know about it, but he [Slay] has played in big games. He’s made big plays. He had an interception in the playoff run against Green Bay. So he’s been in that spotlight for many years and had success doing it.”
And when it comes to how many games the team will win this season, “Weapon X” predicted 13. Just one shy of how many the Birds won in the regular season last year on the road to victory in Super Bowl LIX.