Dwight Freeney in his Little Italy penthouse
San Diego Charger Dwight Freeney at home in Little Italy | photo by Robert Benson
Is it hard to date when you’re on the road with the team?
It’s hard because you travel so much, especially the time commitment for the season. If you’re trying to be social, it’s usually not the best time to meet anybody. Off-season, there is more time to see this, do that, travel there.
During on-season what’s you schedule like?
It’s your normal get there at 7:45, leave at 6. It’s a long day. If a game’s at 1:30, I get up at 7-7:15 and get ready for the game, the game ends at 4. Then it takes a toll emotionally, just based off everything you put into it: the working out, the training, year round, to play 16 games. Mentally, you just hang in there. Physically, obviously, you see what happens on the field. Your body goes through trauma every week, so it’s a 24-hour job. When you come home, you have to rest, you have to rehab, you’re still working on your body, you have to ice. It’s a continuous deal that never truly turns off.
With that said, what do you look for in a lady?
The biggest thing for me is they obviously have to be physically attractive, but that wears off quickly, and it’s more about personality. I think that’s the biggest thing. You have to connect with somebody, especially in the first few weeks that you meet. Attracted to her. Great. Now that’s done with. Then it becomes: Is she smart or not? How’s her personality? It keeps building.
What qualities turn you off?
When you feel like you’re better than people because of how you were raised, what family you came from, or what job you have. It turns me off cold, because the thing is, in life, you can get those things taken away from you so quickly and be right back down. I don’t like superficial, just down to earth. I don’t need all that.
What qualities turn you on?
I don’t need anything special. I don’t need anything extravagant. I can just hang out, put some sweats on, put my feet up, and relax. That’s what you’re going to do on a more consistent basis—not just the flash. Once in a while, we’ll do something nice, but that can’t be who you are. It has to be simple stuff. Simple will make you happy, more than the flashy.
What’s your ideal date?
I think it depends on her. I’d talk to her about the things she likes, kind of get a feel about the type of person she is. For me, if she’s having a great time, I’m having a great time. That’s kind of how I operate.
Are you more of a dinner and a movie guy? Do you like to go out dancing?
I love going out for dinner, trying different things, different ambiences, different restaurants. It just depends. I might drive up to L.A., do a dinner, road trip, get a hotel room, hang out, spend the day up there. There is no real go-to.
Being in the public eye, is it hard to find a genuine girl that you can trust?
You don’t know people’s intentions, and my life is out there. You can Google me and know how much [money] I make. You’re always being judged. People have a lot of information that you didn’t give them, and they’ve already formed opinions about you, and you don’t know if their intentions are good. So it takes me time to weed that out.
Do you feel like you weed that out pretty quickly?
Yeah, I think more times than not I definitely do, but sometimes I get it later. It’s not the easiest thing, but it comes with the territory. There’s always going to be things you have to sacrifice.
Do you want to get married and have a family?
Absolutely. The thing is, too many people do that before it’s time to do that. They’re almost forced to do it based on circumstances. They do it before they get to know the individual, because they feel like that’s what they’re supposed to do. If I have the luxury of picking the right person, I’m not doing anything because I have to do it. As long as I’m happy, I will meet that right person. I know I will. But I don’t need to do it just because I haven’t done it yet. Sometimes you rush into decisions and make the wrong one, and those decisions can cost you a lot in different ways, financially, emotionally. Time is the revealer of all. Just take your time, take a deep breath, and let things naturally develop the way it’s supposed to.
For more on Dwight Freeney, check out our photo spread of his home here.
