[Bette]

We sports fans tend to forget that our favorite athletes are human. We see the bigger paychecks, the great athletic feats and we somehow think they are different from the rest of us.
But at the end of the day they go home and resume the life of normal humans like the rest of us, the good and the bad.
Thus was the story of one of Philadelphia's most beloved athletes this season.
Brian Dawkins is the father of twin daughters who fought for their lives even before they were born. When Brian and Connie brought their daughters home, an electronic monitor was placed on one of their girls to track her breathing. And when she would forget to breathe, her father would have to make her start somehow--grasp a foot, a little shake--until she let out a gasp and began breathing again.
This was Brian's terrifying year off the football field. No wonder he was not his usual self.

Eagles Safety Brian Dawkins Had More on His Mind Than Just Football in 2007 - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

[njpsufan]

While this is certainly a sad story... and it was well known already here in Philly BTW... his downhill slide has to do with more then this. He has been hurt on and off for the past couple years. He is getting older and all those hits in his career have taken a toll. He was never the best pass defender and has lost a step or two. Personally I like him.... he plays hard all the time with a lot of emotion and is certainly a leader both on and off the field. But I think his career is just about at its end. He will play this year but the Birds are looking to draft a safety to step in and be his heir.