Brian34Cook

Father did know best, and Jenkins family succeeded
One son, Cullen, plays for the Packers and another, Kris, is a Panther

By Pat Yasinskas
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
Article Launched: 11/23/2007 10:03:52 PM PST



By the time Cullen got an invitation to Green Bay's training camp in 2003, Kris already had been to a Pro Bowl and was on the verge of getting a contract extension. Cullen, married to his high school sweetheart, Pashun, got cut in training camp and, by then, was the father of Jasmin, now 7, and Ashanti, now 4.

Cullen went back to Michigan and worked as a landscaper. Pashun got a job as a waitress and Darmone and Kris did what they could to help the young couple. Darmone would sit in Pashun's section and plunk down an $80 tip for a $20 meal. Kris counseled his brother not to give up on his dream and, maybe that old sibling rivalry helped.

"I didn't find this out until later, but I was the reason Cullen gave it another shot," Kris said. "He saw me make it to the Pro Bowl and said, 'I can do this if Kris can.' He refused to be denied."

Cullen went to NFL Europe the following spring. He earned a roster spot with the Packers and spent 2004 as a backup and played out a couple one-year contracts for the league minimum of a little less than $300,000 a year.

His break came last season when the Packers decided to move him primarily to defensive end. He responded with 6.5 sacks and landed a four-year deal worth about $16 million in February.

While Cullen was piecing a career together, Kris was on the verge of destroying his. He suffered a shoulder injury early in 2004 and, for the first time, couldn't play football.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/49er...nclick_check=1