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Lifestyle change uplifting for Dallas Cowboys' Spears

11:17 AM CDT on Saturday, September 13, 2008
By BRIAN DAVIS / The Dallas Morning News
brdavis@dallasnews.com

IRVING – Marcus Spears' biggest off-season acquisition may have been a new iPhone. Now, he can scroll through photos of his 18-month-old daughter Macaria at a moment's notice.

And there's plenty of storage for more photos when his second child arrives in April.

Family has taken center stage in Spears' life at a time when the 25-year-old defensive end is entering an important phase of his NFL career. The former first-round pick wants to show the Cowboys he's worth a contract extension, even if it means playing a new position.

Spears said a reaffirmation of his faith has given him a new outlook on life and football. He attends church at the Potter's House and soaks up every word from Bishop T.D. Jakes.

"I don't do the same things I used to anymore," Spears said. "I don't go out to clubs. My family has become more important to me – my wife and my daughter."

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"When you start having children, you start appreciating family – what the true definition of a family is," Deidre Spears said. "Having a baby girl and his wife [Aiysha], all that stuff makes a difference."

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"You can play without thinking that you've got to uphold some kind of standard that everybody else has set for you," Spears said. "When you get to that point, you can play better because you're free."

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