When Chris Spielman starred in the NFL, he was a rugged 6-foot, 247-pound linebacker. You might think he never has needed a bodyguard, but he had one once.
His brother.
Rick Spielman, now the Vikings general manager, is three years older than Chris. They were teammates on the Massillon (Ohio) High School basketball team in 1981-82, when Rick was a senior and Chris a sophomore.
"We were at practice and this senior took a cheap shot at me," Chris Spielman said. "And all of a sudden, out of nowhere, Rick laid the guy out."
Rick always looked out for his younger brother when the two were growing up in Canton, Ohio, and then in Massillon.