'Big Red One' Soldier to attend NFL combine in Houston

FORT RILEY, Kan. -- At the age of 6, a car accident left Spc. Thomas Wright in a full body cast. He wasn't expected to walk or talk again.

Today, Wright, motor transport operator, Company A, 101st Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, is preparing for the NFL Regional Combine Feb. 8 in Houston.

"You can do it. If you put your mind to do it, you can do it no matter what, how, what the circumstance, what the obstacles -- all you've got to do is put your mind to something," he said. "Eventually, somebody will see and give you a chance."

Despite a checkered past, falling in with the wrong crowd and getting into trouble, Wright said he has persevered to get the opportunity at his dream of becoming a professional football player.

"I went down a wrong path," he recalled. "I'm trying to do something better than myself, bigger than myself."

One of his inspirations is his grandmother, Lilly Greenwood.

Greenwood died shortly after Wright was hit by the car, but he said he still remembers her watching football when he was young.

"My grandma watched football so much … She used to love watching it," he recalled. "I wish she was here to watch me ... She never got to see me play."

Wright said his grandmother encouraged him to play football, but when he was young, he didn't want to. He thought he was too small, and that he would get hurt if he was tackled.

It wasn't until someone saw him playing baseball and suggested he try football that he finally gave in, at the urging of his uncle, he said.

"My uncle made me play," he said smiling at the memory. "Ever since then I played, and I liked it, and I got real good at it, just training harder and harder every year."

His memory of his grandmother fueled him, he said, and continues to fuel him today.

"I think I play a lot harder, too, because I know she's watching down on me, so I don't want to let her down. That's why I give my whole blood, sweat and tears on everything," he said.

In football, Wright said, he has found more than just a sport.

"Football is my time away," he said. "When I put on a helmet, it's to enjoy myself. It's my time off, my time away, my relaxation."

But Wright said he takes the game very seriously. He can often be found watching tapes of himself to critique his plays and improve his performance.

He also has a grueling schedule. In addition to the physical training he does with his company in the morning, Wright spends his evenings training until 8 or 9 p.m., sometimes closing the fitness centers down, before heading home to his family.

"We got kicked out last night," he said with a laugh. "They kicked us out for being there too late."

Wright trains with Sgt. Michael Seymour, Co. A, 101st BSB, 1st ABCT, 1st Inf. Div.

"(Seymour does) different power-lifting type stuff to help me out getting bigger, stronger and faster. That's our biggest thing to do is get bigger, stronger and faster. That's three things that you've got to do if you want to survive in the NFL," Wright said.

The pair started out as friends, bonding over the fact they're both from Texas, and started working out together, Wright said.

"Ever since then, we've been a team," said Seymour, who now helps manage Wright. "To help him out is a joy."

In addition to helping Wright with power lifting, Seymour talks strategy and helps keep Wright's motivation going.

But timing is tricky, as the pair wants to get as much training in as possible without wearing Wright out before the combine.

"We ain't got that much time," Wright said. "We've been working hard for about a month straight, and all we've got is like two weeks left."

Overall, Wright said he's feeling good.

Wright, who joined the Army in 2009 to help provide for his family, has been using his talents and winning spirit on post by participating in several intramural sports leagues including flag football, softball and basketball.

Both Wright and Seymour credit their chain of command for supporting them by coming to games and accommodating their schedules as they prepare for the combine.

"I have a whole lot of support," Wright said.

Wright has been recognized as an MVP for the two years he's participated in flag football.

He said he hopes his performance in the combine will give him an opportunity to pursue his dream of being a professional football player.

"I'm ready to have a chance. Now is my chance," he said. "Now, I've got to prove to everybody that I can really do it. I put in the work, put in the time … I served my country and took care of family. Now, I feel like it's time to enjoy myself on something I want to do."

If Wright does well at the Regional Combine in Houston, he will advance to the Super Regional Combine in April in Detroit.

"If somebody just looks at me, gives me a spot, gives me a chance … they'll know that I'm a player they'll really want on their team because I play hard. I don't quit. I don't give up," Wright said.