Navy SEALs and SWCCs Meet with NFL Prospects during Combine in Atlanta

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class James Ginther, Naval Special Warfare Group 2 Public Affairs

BUFORD, Ga. (NNS) -- Members of the East Coast SEAL (sea, air, and land) and SWCC (special warfare combatant-craft crewman) scout team met with prospective National Football League players at the Eastern Regional NFL Combine in Buford, Ga., March 11.

The U.S. Navy has formed a mutual partnership with the NFL to raise career opportunity awareness about the Navy and its special warfare programs for potential non-selected NFL draftees.

"All of you have stars in your eyes and that's good," said Stephen Austin, the NFL director of operations for the NFL league office in New York. "But the odds show that not all of you will make it. You've got to have alternatives. And the Navy could be that for some of you."

At the conclusion of each of the offensive and defensive tryout sessions, the team of Navy SEALs and SWCCs presented a brief on special warfare programs, and spoke about the linkages between special warfare operators and professional athletes.

"We look for many of the same qualities in athletes as the NFL," said Master Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Shawn Johnson. "You have to be self-motivating, disciplined, be able to self-sacrifice, and above all be a team player."

The SEAL and SWCC Scout Team also discussed how a football player's athletic background and training correlate with the characteristics and values of potential SEAL candidates.

"As it is for some of you, the notion of never quitting is certainly a mentality common among Navy SEALs," said Johnson. "Until the life is crushed from us, we will never quit. That attitude is what makes people successful in all aspects of their life."