When the NFL locked out the players during the 2011 off-season, Broncos safety David Bruton headed back to his hometown of Miamisburg, Ohio, and got a real job. Bruton worked as a substitute teacher for $90 a day.
Bruton, who majored in political science and sociology at Notre Dame, got a full range of assignments from the elementary grades to high school.
"The second-graders definitely try to be slick," Bruton said. "They try to pull one over on you. I think that's the age they develop that, 'Oh, it's the substitute teacher. I can pull one over on him.' "
Bruton, a fourth-round pick of the Broncos in 2009, hopes to pursue a post-football career in a field that allows him to help kids.
"Having the chance to be around the youth and help them grow and see the impact that I made in some way shape or form, it's cool," Bruton said.
The Broncos hold Bruton in high regard for his character. He was voted captain of the special teams this season. And for the team's first Super Bowl press conference after arriving in New Jersey, Bruton was one of five Broncos players selected to participate along with Peyton Manning, Champ Bailey, Wes Welker and Wesley Woodyard.
