ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — His first career Pro Bowl nod is tantalizingly within reach for nine-year NFL veteran Garett Bolles, whose renaissance on the gridiron mirrors his awakening off the field.
The Broncos' left tackle has polished the rough edges of his game over the years to go from a raw latecomer to football (he was a lacrosse star as a kid) to one of the league's best blindside protectors.
He anchors one of the best offensive lines in football and is a big reason the Broncos are 11-2 and perched atop the AFC playoff race heading into this weekend's marquee showdown with the Green Bay Packers (9-3-1) at Empower Field.
Early on, he was derided by Broncos fans for his propensity for penalties. "Holding, offense, No. 72” practically became his motto. He no longer draws that ire — or many flags, for that matter.
He's been whistled just four times in 871 snaps this season and he hasn't allowed a single sack of second-year passer Bo Nix.
Bolles credits the many mentors he's had, Hall of Famer Mike Munchak among them, for refining his technique and his overall game, and he credits his experience overcoming a troubled adolescence for helping him navigate the negativity that started to surround him as a rookie in 2017 facing a steep learning curve.
“Well, No. 1, I've been down before,” Bolles said. “I've been down to where nothing's coming my way and everything is against me and the odds are against me, people have counted me out, people have doubted me, people have continued to beat me up with words. I've been down. I've been to where I've had nothing and I feel like no one is there for me. And so, those moments in football, that's just how my career's been, that's how my life's been.”
Through all the tribulations, Bolles said he always knew he'd come out a better player and person.
“I never want to let anyone down," he said. "And I didn't want to let this city down. I didn't want to let this team down and this organization because they've given me so much, not only to have a voice and a platform but to be able to play this game at a high level and I needed to change.”
Aside from the physical adjustments, Bolles had a mental and emotional roadmap for this renaissance from his time as a troubled youth, which included several school suspensions and expulsions, drug and alcohol use and even jail time for vandalism.
He was kicked out of his home at 19 and turned his life around after his former lacrosse coach, Greg Freeman, and his wife, Emily, took him in and gave him structure, mentorship and a chance to focus on family, faith and football.
“When you've been doubted in life, not only do you have to prove to yourself that you can be successful, but you've got to prove to others that you can be counted on, you can be reliable and you can continue to work hard through your work ethic and through your love that you show people and your kindness,” Bolles said. “And that was my goal and I'm going to continue to do that and I've obviously seen the results from it.”
From the start of his career, Bolles has been deeply involved in mentoring teens in the Arapahoe County Juvenile Probation Court, providing renovations to the hearing spaces and a shoulder to lean on.
“The way I grew up, I wanted to give back to kids who were very similar to me,” Bolles said. "Because, when you live that lifestyle, a lot of people just end up giving up on you, and they don’t love you and they don’t appreciate you — and I know how that feels. As I started talking to these kids I just realized these kids are just like me; they just need someone to love them and to cheer them on and to be there for them and to have someone in their corner.”
Bolles and his wife, Natalie, also founded the GB3 Foundation in 2021 to support children with learning differences and speech disorders, inspired by their son Kingston, now 8, who was diagnosed five years ago with childhood apraxia of speech. This fall, the Bolles funded the Bjorem & Bolles Apraxia Training Center in Parker, Colorado, a facility dedicated to training educators and speech-language pathologists who serve children with CAS.
For those efforts, the Broncos named Bolles their Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee this month.
Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who was a first-year head coach in Denver when Bolles was selected 20th overall out of Utah in the 2017 NFL draft, said he sensed right away Bolles would apply that same determination that helped him overcome so much off the field to becoming the polished player he is today.
“As a player, he's obviously one of the great tackles, his physical traits when we drafted him kind of spoke to that. He needed time on task to polish his tasks," Joseph said. “And he's always been a wonderful person. He's been a father since the day I met him. He's a great husband. He is the best teammate. ... He is really a good person and he is absolutely a great player.”
You'd think an NFL football player taking time to go see them would make Bolles a hero for so many troubled youth. But it's actually the other way around; they inspire him, so much in fact that he said he plays football as much for them as he does his teammates.
“I love football, don’t get me wrong. I truly do love football, I love everything about it, it’s truly a passion of mine,” Bolles said. “But nothing brings me more joy than being able to help these kids.”
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