‘I still love football’

Victoria Sun

Tuesday, May 22, 2001 | 9:59 a.m.

After leading the Baltimore Ravens to victory in Super Bowl XXXV in January, Trent Dilfer's collegiate alma mater held an "Appreciation Day" and later retired his jersey.

Disney World honored Dilfer and his victorious teammates with a parade that he called "the coolest, a really neat experience."

What did his own team do?

It signed another quarterback, Elvis Grbac, to a five-year contract, and released Dilfer.

"The process has been somewhat frustrating," said the affable Dilfer, a product of Fresno State. "Usually a quarterback that wins a Super Bowl doesn't have to go looking for a job.

"But I think the face of the NFL has changed. I think that sometimes people say things about you that end up sticking unfortunately, and I think there have been some negative things said.

"And I can't worry about that. I've been given maybe a bad shake this off-season, but I'm not going to worry about that. I'll find a team. I still love football. I still have a passion to be a great player."

And a passion for helping others.

Dilfer was in Las Vegas on Monday to visit the kids at WestCare, a nonprofit community-based substance abuse facility.

The 29-year-old Dilfer has donated his time and money to numerous charitable organizations, including the United Way and local groups in his hometown of Tampa, Fla. Before signing a one-year contract with Baltimore last season, he spent the previous six with the Bucanneers.

Dilfer signed autographs, joked with the kids and answered a few questions.

When one girl shouted out, "How much money do you make?" Dilfer explained with a big smile, "Nothing. Right now I don't have a job."

"My passion philanthropically is to be involved in organizations that help educate youth, changing the environment the youth lives in and ultimately changing the pattern of the youth's life," Dilfer said. "This has been one place that has really focused on reaching as many kids as they can and being available to those a lot of people won't be.

"You find a lot of times these days that a lot of nonprofits are more actively involved with people that everybody's already involved with anyways. But the people at WestCare target people who need help and I really have a heart for that."

Dilfer, who has a home in Incline Village, said he plans to be involved financially in helping WestCare and is looking into other business ventures in Las Vegas and Reno.

He was philosophical when discussing the business of football and the signing of Grbac.

"I saw it coming, but it still surprised me," Dilfer said. "I think it was a divided organization.

"There were members of the organization that felt to repeat, to stay at the level that we were, they needed in their eyes to be a different type of offensive team.

"I thought I could have been that quarterback. I think there's a large portion of Ravens that wanted me to stay and really felt that our best chance was with me."

Being snubbed by the Ravens hasn't changed Dilfer's kind demeanor or outlook on playing in the NFL.

He believes critics have questioned whether he can still produce because of his age.

Dilfer has visited several NFL cities during the off-season and narrowed the list of places he'd like to play to about five cities, but is in no rush to sign a new contract.

He expects a deal to be done in June or July, perhaps even during training camp.

"My passion is there," Dilfer said. "I think what people forget in professional sports, and it's the same in any career, is that you're productive because you're passionate about it.

"It's something you own. That's where I feel like I am, unfortunately they (the Ravens) don't and a lot of teams in the league don't.

"I try to not deal with that. All that does is create bitterness. It takes you out of where you need to be. Where I need to be right now as a football player is excited by whatever opportunity presents itself."

Getting an opportunity to see Dilfer in person left Andy Tynan, a soon-to-be seventh-grader at Faith Lutheran, in awe.

"This is unreal," Tynan said. "I'm finally meeting a football legend."

Now there's something you don't see every day -- an unemployed football legend.