Green Bay Packer great Gilbert Brown visits U.P. to talk about bullying

ESCANABA — A former Super Bowl Champion visited the Upper Peninsula today. His message was simple: eliminate all forms of bullying. ABC 10 / CW 5’s Jerry Taylor was on hand for the presentation and he has the story.

“That’s what it’s all about. I got little kids at home. And I’m scared everyday something like this would happen.

A couple hundred Escanaba Middle School students packed into an auditorium Friday morning, to hear from a Green Bay Packer great, former defensive tackle Gilbert Brown. ‘The Grave Digger’ spent eleven seasons in the NFL with the green and gold.
Now, the Super Bowl XXXI Champion is focused on eliminating bullying.

“Whenever I get an opportunity to talk to some kids about bullying and respecting each other, I jump on it,” said Brown.

Bullying is a tough subject to talk about. Brown said that he was bullied when he was in second grade. He wants adults to be more aware of the ins and outs of bullying.

“Me, personally, I would like to see the principals, the teachers, the councilors, step up. And do their job. Don’t just give them a slap on the wrist anymore,” said Brown.

Brown spoke about bullying to two groups of students.

Escanaba Public Safety Detective Sargent Anthony LaPlant was thrilled to bring a high profile athlete to the community to deliver a positive message to the students.

“It’s an important in today’s day and age, and obviously, one that we felt our children needed to hear,” said LaPlant. “Bullying crosses economic boundaries. We deal with it quite frequently.”

While Brown was at Escanaba to talk about bullying, we couldn’t help but ask him about his expectations for the Packers this season.

“Superbowl.”

Superbowl or bust?

“It’s no bust,” said Brown. “Superbowl. Ain’t nobody can beat us. We got the team to beat. Period.”

Go, Pack, go! Everyone went home a winner after the presentation.