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Lonestar
12-13-2009, 03:31 AM
By Lindsay H. Jones
The Denver Post
Posted: 12/13/2009 01:00:00 AM MST


Even after a successful college career at Mississippi State and nearly seven full seasons in the NFL, Broncos linebacker Mario Haggan counts a junior high game among the highlights of his football career.

At age 14, Haggan's team from Higgins Junior High won its final game 28-14 and finished the season undefeated.

Haggan didn't know it at the time, but it would be the last game Haggan's older brother, Michael, saw in person. A short time later, Michael Haggan, seven years older than Mario, began a 30-year prison sentence after being convicted of armed robbery.

Michael Haggan remains incarcerated, but the brothers still speak on the phone — including a call last week — and Mario visits in the offseason.

Haggan, who signed with the Broncos as a free agent midway through the 2008 season, has become a starter for the first time in his career this season and was picked by his teammates to be a captain. He has forced fumbles in each of the Broncos' last two games.

Q: How did your brother's situation affect you as a teenager?

A: I learned from his mistake, just seeing my mom sit on the couch that day that he got sentenced. That took me out of the streets and made me want to walk a straight line even more. I didn't feel like I could put her through that again, and she's been pretty much hurting ever since, having her child in there that she can't do anything for, other than going to visit in the commissary every now and then. So his mistake really gave me a big lesson to stay out of the streets and helped me become the man I am today.

Q: What are your conversations like now when you get to talk to him?

A: It's difficult to talk to him now because he's getting older and he's been there so long. He's so tired of being in there. We've made several attempts to get him out and nothing has happened, so it's getting frustrating. But when we talk about football, it gives us something else to talk about, something

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for him to be happy about.

Q: What has this season been like for you? It seems like a new start.

A: I felt like I had earned some opportunities early in my career, and they just didn't pan out. I got here and, thank God, it's been a place where I can put my talents on display, and the coaches have shown belief in me by putting me out there more and more. I would say I'm hitting my stride, but it's because of the opportunity that I've been given.

Q: You've got a bunch of pictures of your kids in your locker. Tell me about your family.

A: I've been married (to Tanika) about a year and a half and have two kids. My daughter, Taylor, is 4 and my son, Mario Jr., is about 6 months now. I've got a lovely family. I'm blessed. It's fun now getting to see my kids grow up. That's my inspiration every day, to make sure they're taken care of and they can grow up and have a positive influence from their father. They live in Dallas, but they come back and forth. They've been to every home game.

Q: What do you want to do with your life after your career in the NFL is over?

A: I want to go into the broadcast booth somehow, whether it's behind the scenes on radio or on TV — doesn't make much difference. I feel I'm fit for it. If that doesn't work out, I definitely want to do some coaching on the high school or college level. I want to be around the game. It's what I've grown up with, and it's something I want to keep doing.

Q: What do you like about broadcasting?

A: I like being able to talk about the sport, analyzing it and breaking it down. I feel like I have insight and feel like I can tell the viewers or the listeners things they don't know about the game, tell them more about it than just what they see.

Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com

About Haggan
http://www.denverpost.com/premium/broncos/ci_13985688

About Haggan
Position: Outside linebacker

Height: 6-feet-3

Weight: 267

Hometown: Clarksdale, Miss.

College: Mississippi State

Draft: Seventh round in 2003 by Buffalo

Season stats: 12 starts, 37 total tackles, one sack, three forced fumbles; nine special-teams tackles.

Career stats: 85 games, 12 starts (all in 2009), 111 tackles, three sacks, five forced fumbles, two recovered fumbles.