Rams Players Visit Timberland: 'At the End of the Day, It Has to Be Fun'

(The following is a press release from the .)

St. Louis Rams linebackers Josh Hull and James Laurinaitis visited with the football team today to talk to the players and answer questions about life in the NFL.

Neither player was very heavily recruited out of high school, so they both shared a message of goal-oriented hard work.

“Believe it or not, I’m not too far removed from high school, I graduated in 2005, so I know what they’re going through,” said Laurinaitis. “I still remember my senior year like it was yesterday, hard work pays off, but you have to keep your nose clean and avoid distractions, especially if you want the chance to play college football.”

Josh Hull invited his teammate to come along to talk with the Wolves players.  “I duck hunt with my friend Kurt Daniels, and his family took me under their wing when I first came to St. Louis, his son plays on the team so I’m happy to help out. I think one of the most important things in high school is to have fun when you’re playing football, you have to compete, but at the end of the day it has to be fun.”

The experience was certainly fun for the players, who had their questions answered on topics ranging from nutrition to time management. They were also reminded that the alarm clock snooze button is the enemy when it comes to both sports and school.

Hull was an Academic All-American at Penn State where he majored in engineering, and Laurinaitis graduated from Ohio State with a degree in communications. “I know all of the distractions, and I know it’s probably even worse now, so I just want to encourage them to do the right thing,” said Laurinaitis, who added that his father (a professional wrestler) did a good job of keeping him in line when he was in high school.

“For the kids who won’t play in college, l also wanted to stress the importance of a good education, because at some point football will end for all of us, and you need that degree!”