By FireRescue1 Staff
LAKELAND, Fla. — A Marine and former NFL player will be joining the ranks of a fire department.
Former Florida Gator defensive lineman Clint Mitchell, who also played with the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs, and Marine Antonio Apolinar are two of 13 rookie firefighters to join the Lakeland Fire Department, reported Bay News 9.
Mitchell said he is joining the department because he enjoys being part of a team and helping others.
“These are all my teammates,” Mitchell said. “We are all rookies. It’s like we are all out here at training camp getting ready for the next day.”
Apolinar, who served tours in Iraq, said he wanted to become a firefighter to make his 9-year-old daughter proud.
“Because in her eyes, I am everything to her,” Apolinar said. “I am her hero and I just want to live to that expectation.”
Mitchell, Apolinar and the other rookies will continue training for the rest of February.