Georgetown is training more than just football players

	Willie Bodrick stepped away from the gridiron to spend his summer as an intern on Capital Hill. Photo courtesy of Georgetown Athletic Dept.
	More Interns of the Week Lauren Kobylarz (Duke) Willie Bodrick (Georgetown) Elizabeth Bohnsack (Rutgers) Kiley Harris (WVU) Drew Weatherford (FSU)

By Greg Beaton

Name: Willie Bodrick
School: Georgetown
Year/Age: Sophomore, 19
Major: English, Sociology
Job: Intern, U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs,
Paid/unpaid: Paid
School Credit: No
Hours/duration: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., June 4 to Aug. 4

When Georgetown football coach Kevin Kelly sells his school to recruits, the message is simple: "This is a lifetime decision, not just a football decision."

A member of the Division I-AA Patriot League, a football power Georgetown is not. It does not award football scholarships, plays its games in 3,500-seat Multi-Sport Field and managed just two wins during Kelly's first season in 2006. The last time a Hoya played in an NFL game was more than half a century ago, in 1956 (though 2007 graduate Alex Buzbee does have an outside shot of playing in the league after signing a contract to attend training camp with the Washington Redskins).

Although Kelly and his team are hoping for a resurgence in 2007, where Georgetown football currently succeeds most is off the field. When high school football players are deciding between options, Kelly points to Georgetown's location in Washington, D.C. and the vast alumni network has major selling points for his program. The team practices in the morning so players can focus on academics in the afternoon, and Kelly and his staff host regular seminars to help cultivate the Hoyas' post-football career pursuits.

"It's not lip service in recruiting--it's something we really strive for," Kelly says. "One of the things people think is you graduate from Georgetown and jobs are waiting for you, but you have to work for it."

At one of the lectures last year, athletic freshman cornerback Willie Bodrick was paying close attention. Bodrick listened closely as former Georgetown quarterback Bruce Simmons, a 1969 graduate of the school who went on to lead a successful career in finance, explained the importance of networking to the assembly of student athletes.

Soon after, Bodrick found himself playing host on a recruiting visit to fellow Georgia native Justin Thomas, whose older brother, Ronald, is a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The connection was made from there, and once Thomas' recruiting visit was finished, Bodrick found himself with more than just a future teammate -- he had a highly-coveted summer job.

Now, like many Georgetown football players before him, Bodrick is participating in a meaningful summer internship on Capitol Hill, just one year removed from his modest upbringing in an all-black neighborhood in Atlanta. While many of his friends from home flip burgers or work retail for the summer, Bodrick has traded his football pads for a suit and Atlanta's MARTA for D.C.'s Metro to get the opportunity to show up for work each day at 8:30 a.m. in the shadow of the White House.

Working in the VA's Office of Policy, Planning and Preparedness, Bodrick has gotten even more than he thought he bargained for when he took the job. With scores of young men his age returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with horrific injuries -- or not returning at all -- Bodrick has learned even more about how lucky he is to have emerged from Atlanta and end up with such a wealth of opportunities at Georgetown.

"These guys are my age, they could easily be me," Bodrick says. "Regular citizens see articles in the paper, but now being within system, actually seeing what's being done to help veterans--what concerns are the most important, what are prevalent during war time -- gives a different perspective. This job is very important."

At the same time, football is still a priority for Bodrick, like most Division I football players. After punching out at work at 5 p.m. each day, Bodrick is on the practice field with his teammates for workouts by 6:15.

"You just go home, cook some food, get into bed and get ready to do it all over again," Bodrick says. "It's a challenge, but a challenge I was ready to meet."

Despite Georgetown's lack of success in professional football, Bodrick, who is vying for a starting position this season after recording 11 tackles in eight games as a freshman, is still holding out hope to play in the NFL some day. Kelly preaches optimism in that regard for his players, but also makes sure they prepare themselves for the near-certainty that a pro football career doesn't work out.

"All college football players have that dream, and Willie's got a lot of work ahead of him," Kelly says. "The thing about pro football, I tell kids if you're good enough they're going to find you.

"I tell parents and prospects, my job isn't only as a football coach but to help you get an education and to facilitate you here at Georgetown with job opportunities."