ATLANTA FALCONS-MICHAEL BOLEY-great story

[Guest guest]

By STEVE WYCHE

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 10/11/06

Micahel Boley linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons , who turned 24 less

than two months ago, is raising his six-year-old autistic son,

Jr., who goes by Mikey.

It's a task much harder than learning a defense or tackling Cadillac

. Trying to hold a son who doesn't like to be held or wanting

to tell knock-knock jokes to a child who doesn't communicate much is

a trial of love that gets tested by the minute.

Boley would not have it any other way.

" I would not have sought custody of him if I didn't think I could

help him live a better life, " Boley said. " I look at this as a really

good thing. I want to do this. You don't find too many guys these

days who aren't with their kid's mother that actually want to do this

type of thing. I look at myself as one of the guys who actually wants

to be involved. "

Boley has been raising Mikey for more than a year now, with the help

of his wife of three months, Chantelle. Boley also has a 3-year-old

son, McKale, who lives in Mississippi with his mother. McKale has no

physical or behavioral disorders.

Shortly after getting drafted from Southern Mississippi last spring,

Boley, then 23, filed for primary custody of Mikey from

Lankford, Mikey's mother. She lives in Alabama, where Boley grew up.

Boley said during his visits to see his son, he noticed Mikey

behaving differently than most kids his age.

Though he was told as much by Lankford, Boley said he did not believe

his son suffered from autism, a neurological disorder that impacts

the brain functions in managing behavior, communication and social

interaction. The court awarded him custody after he proved that he

could provide Mikey with better educational and developmental care.

Lankford does get custody of Mikey for one weekend a month, certain

holidays and at other pre-arranged times, Boley said.

" He had his priorities right, and he wanted to do the right thing, "

Falcons president and general manager Rich McKay said of Boley. " On

top of everything else, the temptations that go along with being a 23-

year-old man and realizing you're not going to get to do some of the

other things people your age are doing because you've got

responsibilities, is something he accepted. He's not been one to talk

about it or complain about it. "

Mikey has mild autism

Shortly after Mikey moved in with him, Boley had him evaluated by

behavioral specialists in Atlanta.

It was autism, although in a relatively mild form. With treatment

Mikey might one day be able to communicate and manage social

situations to some degree, Boley said.

The reality of the condition set in on Boley quickly. Mikey's

screaming forced him to move out of an apartment to a house in

Dacula. Nannies and child-care specialists came and went, unable to

deal with Mikey's behavior, Boley said.

Boley and Chantelle, who, at one time served as a pediatric special-

needs caretaker before she met Boley, spent much of their free time

trying to find schools that could help him. In addition, Boley and

Chantelle were planning their July wedding, which they acknowledge

was added stress to a household full of it. All the while, the 6-foot-

3, 236-pounder was trying to make enough of an impact that he could

earn some job security, something that is touch-and-go in the NFL.

" It's good to see a young guy mature beyond his years who's got his

priorities in order — and is a heck of a football player, " Falcons

coach Jim Mora said. " When he comes to work he comes to work. He's

able to get it all done. It never wears him down. It's his son. It's

a part of his life.

" As a football player, there's something about him that makes it seem

like he's been in the league 10 years. He's got it figured out. "

Boley played in all 16 games last season, with 11 starts. He finished

with 64 tackles. His athleticism and knowledge prompted coaches to

consider moving him to safety this offseason, but that changed when

the Falcons signed free-agent Lawyer Milloy.

Boley had to be on the field, Mora said, and now he has settled in as

the strongside, linebacker. In four games, he has posted 24 tackles,

a sack, a forced fumble and an interception.

He also is settling in at home. After late morning practices and

meetings, Boley usually spends several hours with Mikey before

putting him to bed between 9 and 9:30 p.m. He can communicate with

Mikey, with the help of Chantelle, through sign language.

Mikey responds to some commands such as " sit down " and " come here. "

He also repeats words he hears.

" He's better than when I got him, " Boley said. " He didn't speak at

all when we got him. He has his good days and bad days. A bad day is

when he hits and won't listen. A good day is when he pretty much

follows the rules and just has fun. He's usually pretty happy. "

Boley's life very different

The Boleys enrolled him in a public elementary school, which has a

program for autistic kids. Boley, with the help of Falcons senior

director or player development Winston, also found an in-home

caretaker who specializes in autistic children, who has forged a

relationship with Mikey.

" It was one of those things where he and his wife were looking for

someone to give a little bit more support in their home, " Winston

said. " Mike and I were able to find that resource that gave them the

opportunity to be a little bit more flexible. It's really good for

Mikey and its good for the psyches of Mike and his wife. "

Life is still very different for Boley than it was before he received

custody of Mikey. Almost all of his family's free time is spent at

home because Mikey does not like to be around unfamiliar people and

acts out when he is. Dinner out is a rare occurrence.

" We might go to Dave and Buster's, but he's not real a real big

people person, " Boley said. " He likes to be at home, and he really

likes to look at books. That's what he does a lot of the time. It's

not easy, but he's getting better, and that's what is important. "