It’s not every day that a Philadelphia Eagle comes to school heading to the Super Bowl.
The boys at Quakertown’s Neidig Elemetary School were ready with cheers, smiles and their fight song ‘Fly Eagles Fly’ when Birds’ Britain Covey burst through the gates, just days after the team clinched the NFC Championship and stamped Arizona ticket to face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.
“Being able to come here and see you guys, that’s my favorite part of playing football,” Covey, a wide receiver, told a roomful of students, most of whom were adorned in the apparel of the Eagles. The students had to ask Covey several questions before he took pictures with them and signed a soccer ball for the school.
He recalled how when he was their age, football players also visited his school, which he said was the “coolest thing”. In addition to Neidig, Covey also visited Richland Elementary School.
When Covey entered the school, he was greeted by a large welcome sign, more fight songs from the Eagles, and even the school mascot, Nash.
The first-year Eagles player smiled as he high-fived students who came to hear him speak. He even spoke to one student in Spanish after she asked if he knew the language.
For the students at the school, it was more than just being able to talk to and see an Eagles player. Covey’s grandfather Steven Covey wrote “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” a book that teaches leadership and life skills. It has been adapted for elementary school students under the name “Leader in Me” and is taught to both Neibig and Richland students.
Covey told the students that his grandfather taught him the seven habits, some of which he applies in his NFL career.
He told a student that the most difficult habit for him to follow is the fifth one, “seek first to understand, then make yourself understood.” He told them that sometimes he doesn’t always agree with a coach, but he applies that thought process in that situation.
“This teacher, this coach really cares about me. I need to listen to him and what he’s telling me because he cares,” Covey said. “That’s the hardest habit to follow, but I think it’s the most important.”
The sixth habit, “synergizing,” helps him beat other teams, he said.
“Do you really think I could beat the Dallas Cowboys by myself? Probably not,” he said to her. “But guess what? I have teammates like Jalen Hurts and AJ Brown, and when I work with them, they help me beat them.”
School officials gave Covey a school shirt and a T-shirt for her newborn. Covey’s wife expects to give birth next month.
He told students he was so excited about going to the Super Bowl, that he felt like a “kid.”
“I’m a little nervous,” Covey said. “When I’m out there returning a punt, I’m going to think about all you guys cheering me on and relax a little bit.”
