Ethan Brooks '96

The stars of the National Football League are often portrayed in a glamorous light, with plenty of money, cars, and women, as evidenced by the latest Tom Brady commercial.

That’s a world Ethan Brooks ’96 does not live in. First of all, Brooks is an offensive lineman, and the bright lights and big ink isn’t often splashed about on offensive linemen. Secondly, the 6-foot-6, 315-pounder has been a member of seven different teams over the past nine years, a solid career for sure, but not one that would draw endorsement contracts or commercials.

So it should be no surprise that when the latest turn in his winding NFL journey came about recently, Brooks was in the midst of doing something most everyone has done at one time or another.

“I was so bored, and I wasn’t sure what was going to happen,” Brooks said. “I decided to paint my house. I was driving to the paint store when I received the call.”

“The Call” came 10 days ago from the Dallas Cowboys. Brooks first suited up last week when Dallas traveled to Seattle and lost a 13-10 decision.

He had spent the first six weeks of this season hoping to hear from any NFL team after being cut from the N.Y. Jets at the end of training camp in August.

Brooks, 33, had signed with the Jets in July after three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. In Baltimore, he has played 44 games over three seasons (maximum of 48 games) and started in 23 at right tackle.

He said after the Jets released him, he wasn’t positive another team would come calling. That it happened to be his childhood team, the Cowboys, made it even more special.

“It’s pretty cool,” he said. “This was my team growing up. I’ve liked the Cowboys since I was five years old. When I dreamed of playing in the NFL, this is the team I always envisioned myself playing for.”

Brooks first jumped on the national stage in 1996, when he was drafted in the seventh round by the Atlanta Falcons. Since then, he has played in Atlanta, St. Louis, Arizona (where he was briefly a teammate of another Eph, Sean Keenan ’00), Denver (training camp only), Baltimore, New York Jets (training camp only) and now, Dallas. He has appeared in 75 games, starting 44 of those.

He grew in stature and size at Williams, where he was a three-sport All American — in football, where he played defensive line, and in both indoor and outdoor track and field.

It was his senior year at Williams that Brooks was named an All-American in football for his work at defensive tackle, prompting then head coach Dick Farley to scream at many a practice ‘get him the hell out of there so we can run our offense.’

The Ephs finished 7-0-1 that season the only blemish a 0-0 tie with archrival Amherst in the infamous “sawdust bowl” on Weston Field. Before Brooks graduated from Williams, he set the NCAA Div. 3 record in the 35-pound weight throw and also captured the Div. 3 hammer throw title in the spring of 1996 with a toss of 194 feet, 2 inches.

His NFL journey took a downturn in 1998, when he had to sit out a season because of a bad back. His life took a downturn in 2000, when he lost his wife, Jacquelyn, to lymphoma.

Somehow Brooks persevered, and his career gained momentum after joining the Ravens in 2002. Still, when he was released by the Jets, he was concerned that the journey may be over.

“It (signing with a team) was something I thought might happen sooner,” he said, “and when nothing did, I was starting to move on a little bit, thinking of other forms of income.”

Brooks worked out near his home in Atlanta while beginning to invest in real estate. He knows that at some point, that call from the NFL will not come, and it will be time to develop other options.

“Maybe I’ll go back to Williams and coach the offensive line,” he joked. “I’m considering investing in some athletic training facilities franchises for top-flight athletes, but nothing is definite at this time.”

For the time being, Brooks is back on the practice field under legendary tough-guy coach Bill Parcells. The Cowboys have him working out at left tackle after they lost starting tackle Flozell Adams in a victory over the New York Giants in week six.

“It feels good to be working again,” he said. “I feel like I’m in the first week of (training) camp, I’m so sore. It’s been a little hectic, but it’s actually not that complicated, a lot of stuff is similar to what we ran in Baltimore. But there is some different terminology, especially in the pass protection.”

As for working for Parcells, after four years of Dick Farley, Brooks can pretty much handle anything.

“He’s not quite as mean as he’s portrayed, “ Brooks said. “As long as you show up on time and do what you’re supposed to do.”

As for how much longer Brooks will punch in his NFL time card, even he isn’t sure. He says he’ll simply take it one year at a time right now.

“At the end of the season I will assess where I am physically and see if I want to go for a ninth year,” he said. “There are always some lingering and nagging injuries at the end of every season, so if I do not have a major injury, I will likely go for another year.”

If not, there’s always that offensive line coaching job to consider.