Okay, I'm at the Chiefs game on Sunday, way before the game starts as the family members I am with really like to tailgate. I look down the row of cars close to where we are parked and I see some people in KU chairs, so, being the KU fan that I am (and surrounded by some Raiders fans) I walk down to the KU people and strike up a conversation. Come to find out, one of the people tailgating is TJ Semke. We struck up a conversation and I couldn't have been more proud to say I was talking to a KU player-who is a great ambassador for KU football.
He could have been a jerk, and done what he could to avoid talking to me, but he (and his girlfriend, who, by the way is from Gardner) walked over to where we had our tailgate set up and met the entire family. He posed for pictures and walked by 10 year old grandson back to his car and gave him some KU football gloves. Needless to say, the gloves were the biggest highlight of the day for the grandson.
TJ spoke very highly of Coach Beaty. He is confident that the program is in good hands and the current coaching staff will get the program turned around. He also was nice when speaking about CW. He is appreciative of the fact that Charlie gave him a chance to walk-on, but he said that while DB will speak to everyone and that his office is always open if a player wants to talk, CW would walk by you in the halls and not even speak. It really isn't anything that most of us probably didn't already know, but it was interesting to hear a former player say it.
TJ has his education degree and will teach and coach, but he is waiting to see if he can get a tryout with an NFL team. He is not big, especially for a defensive lineman, but he seems as if he is going to give it a shot. The bottom line is that I was 100% impressed by the young man, the way he carried himself, the genuine kind of person he appeared to be. I know that I had heard the stories of his bounty hunting days and I assumed (incorrectly) that he may be some kind of wild guy, but he is as down-to-earth as anyone. A very good representative for KU football.
He could have been a jerk, and done what he could to avoid talking to me, but he (and his girlfriend, who, by the way is from Gardner) walked over to where we had our tailgate set up and met the entire family. He posed for pictures and walked by 10 year old grandson back to his car and gave him some KU football gloves. Needless to say, the gloves were the biggest highlight of the day for the grandson.
TJ spoke very highly of Coach Beaty. He is confident that the program is in good hands and the current coaching staff will get the program turned around. He also was nice when speaking about CW. He is appreciative of the fact that Charlie gave him a chance to walk-on, but he said that while DB will speak to everyone and that his office is always open if a player wants to talk, CW would walk by you in the halls and not even speak. It really isn't anything that most of us probably didn't already know, but it was interesting to hear a former player say it.
TJ has his education degree and will teach and coach, but he is waiting to see if he can get a tryout with an NFL team. He is not big, especially for a defensive lineman, but he seems as if he is going to give it a shot. The bottom line is that I was 100% impressed by the young man, the way he carried himself, the genuine kind of person he appeared to be. I know that I had heard the stories of his bounty hunting days and I assumed (incorrectly) that he may be some kind of wild guy, but he is as down-to-earth as anyone. A very good representative for KU football.
