Greg Olsen's toughness for son T.J. sets Panthers' tone
CHARLOTTE – A white-hot spotlight remains focused on the Sunday status of Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy, who has appealed his July conviction on two counts of assault and threatening a female, leaving deserving Panthers players cloaked in shadow.
While team officials mull whether Hardy, deactivated before kickoff of last Sunday's win against the Detroit Lions should play Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers, are players concerned the dual controversies of domestic violence and child abuse rocking the league have tainted players with a broader brush?
"There's a lot of really good people in this league. Somebody I think about a lot is Greg Olsen, a guy who does so much, is such a professional and has this heart thing going on with his son -- and at the same time, he does all these great things with the hospital and charities he's working on,'' center Ryan Kalil said. "There's countless guys I can name one after the next; Just really good people. My hope is that at some point we can focus on some of those guys.
"I know these (controversial) things are the topic right now. It's disappointing a lot of it overshadows good people.''
Olsen is among the most respected veterans inside his locker room, blocking out his son's fight to lead the 2-0 Panthers with 14 receptions for 155 yards and a touchdown, including six catches for 72 yards as quarterback Cam Newton's main target in Sunday's 24-7 win against the Detroit Lions.
"There's a lot obviously going on that needs to be sorted out on a lot of different fronts in our league right now, but we also have a lot of good guys, too,'' Olsen said. "I think that's important for people to know. We have a lot more good, positive stories in our NFL that maybe people aren't focusing on.''
One of the most emotional story lines Olsen's teammates and coaches have rallied around is the fight his two-year-old son T.J. continues following his third open-heart surgery to repair an underdeveloped left ventricle and aorta, a rare disorder known as hypo-plastic left heart syndrome.
Following Sunday's win, Olsen didn't head out with teammates to celebrate. He spent the night at the hospital with his youngest son, who has remained in recovery the last three weeks.
"T.J. is doing okay,'' Olsen said. "He's had a rough couple of weeks. We're hoping that last Thursday's procedure the doctors decided on is what he needed to be able to get over this hump and get him home really soon.
"He's a tough kid. He's been through a lot. But he's strong and we're just doing the best we can right now."
Thousands of supporters flocked to a local Charlotte country music bar called Coyote Joe's on Monday night to attend the Lee Brice country music band's concert. The event was the biggest fundraiser for Olsen and his wife Kara's foundation, The HEARTest Yard, to help children born with congenital heart issues similar to their youngest son's.
"We try to be as strong as we can as a family,'' Olsen said. "We have an awesome support system in this team and our family. It allows me to come here and take care of my responsibility.
"We don't have the magic answer for what's the best juggle. But we just do the best we can.''
Olsen says his mental toughness that inspires teammates comes from his son. The eighth-year tight end selected 31st overall in the 2007 draft by the Chicago Bears played in his 112th consecutive regular-season game Sunday, the second-longest active streak among tight ends behind Dallas Cowboys standout Jason Witten's 173 games. Olsen, who led the Panthers in receiving with 73 catches for 816 yards and six touchdowns last season, is the only active tight end with five or more touchdowns in every season since 2008. Despite counting 37 career touchdowns in 86 career starts, Olsen has never been voted to a Pro Bowl.
That could change this season, given the departure of all-time Panthers receptions leader Steve Smith to the Baltimore Ravens and Newton's adjustment to a new corps of wide receivers.
"Greg's a true professional,'' linebacker and close friend Luke Kuechly said. "The one thing that is great about Greg is that if you didn't know about T.J., you would never know. He comes in every day, great attitude works hard, played great.
"It's like stuff never happened. When he's here, it's time to work. He's going to put his heart into it and play hard for this team. That's why we all love Greg.''
Follow Jim Corbett on Twitter @ByJimCorbett.