The clean-shaven look was right in tune with the different side of Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer portrayed over the weekend at his foundation’s fundraising Bowl-O-Rama.
There wasn’t any sign of the bearded, wild-man look of the past NFL season. And there wasn’t time to talk about a traffic altercation that recently put him on the wrong side of the news.
Plummer’s focus was on the charities his celebrity bowling event supports. The Pat Tillman Foundation Colorado Chapter is in recognition of Pat Tillman, a former Arizona State and NFL teammate of Plummer’s who was killed in Afghanistan while serving with the U.S. Army Rangers. Proceeds also go to the Alzheimer’s Association Colorado Chapter in memory of a family member who was afflicted with the disease. And the Family Tree is recognized because Plummer has a soft spot for kids.
“Anytime I was to raise money, it’s going to help put a smile on a kid’s face and make their lives a little better. … As for Alz- heimer’s Association, I wanted to not only raise funds but also raise awareness by putting a young face on what is otherwise known as an old person’s disease,” he said.
Plummer, entering his fourth season with the Broncos, said many of his teammates are involved in charitable causes.
“A lot of players on our team reach out to the community,” he said. “I was pushed in that direction early in my career. It’s not something I do for notoriety. We all do it because it’s deep in our heart and we like to give back to the community.”
Off the field, Plummer believes he’s an average citizen.
“I’m not a model, perfect citizen,” Plummer said. “I respect people. I respect my elders. I treat people with dignity. Regardless of what people want to focus on, I focus on the positives. That’s how I live my life.”
Will the wild-man look return this season?
“I’m not sure,” Plummer said. “We’ll see. It gets so busy when it comes to a Thursday night and I’m studying the playbook and shaving comes into the picture, I sometimes forget. I’m going to play as hard as I can and to get as many victories as I can. Whether I have hair on my face of not, it’s not going to change that.”
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
