HUTCHINSON ISLAND, Fla. — Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle Willie Roaf is ready for the Super Bowl and a trip to see U.S. troops.
From his Hutchinson Island home, Roaf talked with WPTV anchor Mike Trim about his upcoming trip and making the Treasure Coast home.
"I love Hutchinson Island because I love the preserve, how they keep it looking natural. Nothing's overgrown. ... This is real retirement. We always wanted to live by the water," Roaf said.
He has many trophies from his playing days: a Hall of Fame bust in Canton, Ohio, along with NFC offensive lineman of the year trophies. But it's something given to him by a soldier on a 2009 visit to troops in Iraq that he wore until his 2012 Hall of Fame induction.
"When they put that on my arm over there in Iraq, I said, 'I'm going to wear this until the enshrinement,'" Roaf said. "And I wore this to enshrinement week, and I kept it right here."
Roaf is looking forward to his new trip to see U.S. troops. He's traveling with fellow NFL legends on the Pro Blitz tour to military bases in Asia and Africa.
The trip wraps up with him watching the Super Bowl with U.S. servicemen and women.
"That means something to go and shake their hand, let them know we're thinking about them, take away the monotony of what they do every day," Roaf said. "Just sitting there, I mean, we're going to be on some bases in Jordan, sitting in the middle of nowhere."
Roaf played professional football for 13 years with the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs. It’s his last four with the Chiefs that Roaf is in tune with this Super Bowl week.
The Chiefs face off against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday. The game can be seen on WFLX Fox 29.
Roaf was at the AFC Championship game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City when the Chiefs clinched their spot in the Super Bowl. He remembers his time with the Chiefs fondly.
"Just to walk in Arrowhead and get the sense of that, 'cause that was my last four years," Roaf said. "I played on one of the best lines at the time. We were the No. 1 offense in the league. It was a lot of fun."
So who is Roaf's Super Bowl pick?
"If the Chiefs can run the football and keep them off the field, I give them a good chance," Roaf said. "I give the advantage to the Chiefs because of the experience, but Philadelphia has the better football team."