NEW YORK (AP) — Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware has played in dozens of important games and hung out with some of the biggest stars in sports.
Still, he was nervous when he met President Barack Obama.
"It's something like no other," Ware said Thursday. "Being able to meet the most important guy in the United States, the guy with the most power, it was unbelievable."
Ware and fellow NFL players Drew Brees and Troy Polamalu filmed a public service announcement with Obama that will air during the league's Thanksgiving games.
The 90-second spot shows Obama and the NFL stars playing touch football with local children on the White House lawn. The PSA promotes the league's Play 60 campaign, which encourages physical activity to combat childhood obesity, and the president's community service initiative United We Serve.
"Thanksgiving is a time when families come together, and it is also a perfect time to focus on the importance of keeping kids healthy and active," New Orleans quarterback Brees said in a statement released by the league. "I was honored to spend time with the president on an issue that is clearly important to him. I was also impressed by his wide receiver skills."
Obama wears a Chicago Bears jacket as he plays football with Brees, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Polamalu and Ware. A shorter version of the spot will air throughout the season.
"I was like 'Ohhhh my God,'" when Obama came out in a Bears pullover, Ware said in a telephone interview. "It was me, Polamalu and Drew Brees there, so you know how we feel about the Chicago Bears. But he's a big Chicago Bears fan. He greeted each one of us, and he knew everything about our teams."
Ware is Dallas' representative for the Play 60 program, which began in 2007. The NFL estimates it has committed $200 million worth of programming, grants, and time for PSAs to the initiative.
"I think it's really important," Ware said. "If the players are getting involved in it, Obama, a lot of important people getting involved in it, sometimes it encourages kids to get out and do those type of activities and show them just how important it is."
