THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 24, 1996 TAG: 9610240535
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ASHBURN, VA. LENGTH: 78 lines
When the Washington Redskins boast that the thing they admire most about Dexter Nottage is his strength, they're referring to more than just his arms, legs and back.
``Dexter has always done the right thing by his family,'' defensive tackle Marc Boutte said Wednesday, ``and God is blessing him for that by letting him play so well.''
Nottage starred in Washington's 31-21 victory over the New York Giants last Sunday. The 6-foot-4, 291-pound lineman twice sacked Dave Brown. The second came with Washington ahead 7-0 but the Giants at the Redskins' 27 after forcing a turnover. The 7-yard loss took New York out of field-goal range.
Off the field, Nottage has exhibited a remarkable inner strength in handling one personal crisis after another.
Following two seasons as a starting defensive end, Nottage dropped out of Florida A&M in 1992 so he could care for his mother and sister after they were injured in an auto accident. Married just a few months at the time, Nottage moved furniture, washed cars, hauled miles and miles of telephone cable in the scalding South Florida sun and worked night-security to handle his daunting new responsibilities.
Wife Roxanne pushed and prodded him to stay conditioned, to never give up on trying the NFL. After work, he'd run and lift weights, even devising exercises he could do with that telephone cable to make himself more football-ready. Roxanne wrote letter after letter to NFL teams, desperate to keep her husband's name at their fingertips.
In 1993, a year before the Redskins saw enough of Nottage at a tryout camp to draft him in the sixth round, Roxanne suffered through a scary pregnancy in which she nearly lost baby Dexter.
Then, about 10 months ago, Roxanne called from the doctor's office. An even more troublesome pregnancy was being predicted.
They were right. Bed-ridden, Roxanne was having trouble bringing this baby to term, with problems that threatened the baby's life and hers. She needed her husband.
But Nottage was no cinch to stay a Redskin. With just one sack in two seasons, he was still a player with untapped potential. He wanted to be with the Redskins, but he had to be with his wife.
``You're torn,'' Dexter said. ``I would like to look at my family as my first priority, but that becomes hard when you've got a job on the line, a job that can make a huge difference to your family.
``The last thing I wanted was to hurt my wife. She helped me get this far. It meant as much to her as it did to me. But I couldn't jeopardize her health.''
Nottage talked to the coaches and was stunned when they gave him the freedom to handle it as he chose. If that meant leaving training camp, they understood.
``We tried to be flexible with Dexter,'' defensive coordinator Ron Lynn says. ``After all, he's an adult. We didn't change anything dramatically, but we left it up to him to stay on top of things.''
Nottage left twice. Each time he returned, he spent extra time lifting weights and running to maintain his physical edge. The mental part wasn't as big of a problem. An end as a rookie, Nottage was shifted to tackle before the '95 season. He had learned both positions well.
``What pleased me most is that the coaches had enough faith in me to let me go because they knew that I would be ready to play,'' Nottage said. ``They were like, `we can do this because on the field, you're all business.' ''
``There's a fine line there,'' head coach Norv Turner admits. ``A person has to use good judgment about what can happen to them by leaving training camp, as opposed to how much support they can be at home.''
Mythyus Nottage was born after 35 weeks. Dad says he is healthy, as is Roxanne.
On the field, Nottage already has three sacks. He's developing just as the Redskins hoped he would when they tabbed him three years ago.
``Things are falling into place for Dex,'' fellow end Rich Owens says. ``He has so much potential, and it's just starting. I don't think he even realizes how strong he is.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
HUY NGUYEN/The Virginian-Pilot
The Redskins will be the first to tell you that there's far more to
Dexter Nottage than his 6-foot-4, 291-pounds. by CNB