An NFL player took some time out of his hectic schedule to talk with students in Bermuda.

Langston Walker, a Californian and offensive lineman for the Buffalo Bills in New York, was influenced by friend Russell Crew to come and meet some of the Island's school children.

Mr. Crew, a business development coordinator at Scientific Learning, has helped set up a literacy-based computer programme, the award-winning Fast Forword, at the Educational Centre (TEC) in Devonshire.

Mr. Crew once told the students he knew a professional athlete, but few believed him, so he got Langston Walker to send the children at TEC an autographed football.

Then, the 27-year-old athlete went one step further and accepted an invitation to come and talk with the students at TEC and yesterday he spent time interacting, playing football, swimming and signing autographs for the students.

TEC is an alternative programme for students who have been unsuccessful in the large public school environment, but Mr. Walker believes they are just normal children.

He said: "These are kids who are just like other kids, who unfortunately have just had some social issues. But these kids were out there throwing the football around and talking about different things — they are no different from other kids."

According to Mr. Walker the kids had a lot of questions to ask him about life as a professional athlete, including questions about what kind of car he drove.

He said: "They are kids you know, so they are easily influenced by TV and all that kind of stuff, so they don't know all the hard work it takes to be successful in life — not just being a professional athlete, but successful in life".

Mr. Walker tried to instil a positive message in the students and told them: "You don't have to have the big flashy car, you can do the small things like graduate from high school — going on to secondary education and higher education".

When asked, Mr. Walker said what he enjoyed most was spending time with the kids and just seeing them interact in their own environment.

He said: "This makes me feel great. This is something (where) I can know I gave back to — not my community, but a community. And hopefully these kids will walk away knowing how great they are and how much potential they have. That's the point."

Mr. Walker leaves the Island tomorrow.