Kelly Herndon Graduates

AP Sports Writer Gregg Bell wrote another good article on the Seahawks, this time about Kelly Herndon graduating from college. He talks to Herndon about going back to the University of Toledo to get his degree in Psychology in May. He had originally planned to finish up in January, but the Seahawks made it to the Super Bowl causing him to postpone things a few months.

His final project was to analyze the self-esteem of his teammates. Marcus Trufant told Gregg Bell, "He gave us questionnaires...a lot of the questions were how you would rate yourself in certain situations, 1 through 10." Herndon wants to be a sports psychologist after his playing days are over.

Herndon was fulfilling a promise he made to his parents in 1995 when he enrolled at Toldeo. Herndon's father died just before the second minicamp of his rookie season, which is eerily similar to what happened to Rob Sims this year. Herndon should be able to offer Rob Sims support and advice on how to handle the situation. No one can truly understand what Sims is dealing with unless they have been though it themselves. Herndon's situation was almost identical; he overcame it and eventually came out the other side of it triumphantly.

Kelly Herndon was an undrafted free agent rookie, was cut four times, and played in Europe all before finally making it as a starter in the NFL. He has to battle Kelly Jennings to protect that starting job, but he has arrived as an excellent player in the NFL through perseverance.