ESPN analyst Bill Polian visits troops overseas on NFL’s USO Tour

Days ago, ESPN analyst and six-time National Football League Executive of the Year Bill Polian traveled thousands of miles to deliver a very important and heartfelt message: Thank you.

Invited to participate in the NFL’s 2013 USO Tour with former players Chris Draft, Donnie Edwards and Eric Metcalf, Polian is spending a week abroad visiting troops in the United States military, a group for which he has deep respect.

“The whole idea that we can do something to help our service men and women is something that, to me, is almost every American’s obligation,” said Polian. “That is especially true in the National Football League where we get so much from being citizens of this country.”

As President and Vice Chairman of the Indianapolis Colts for more than a decade, Polian helped foster a strong relationship with the National Guard and the Air Force in Indiana. Away from the Colts’ home city, similar connections were made.

“When we were fortunate enough to go to the White House after winning Super Bowl XLI, the first stop we made in Washington was at Walter Reed Army Medical Center,” Polian said. “That was a tremendous opportunity for our guys to see what kind of young men and women were representing them in the armed forces.”

Polian — who says he can’t imagine a better place to be than with American troops on the Fourth of July — expressed a deep sense of gratitude for those who serve.

“My only message is thank you,” he said. “Thank you for what you do for all of us, and what can we do to make your life a little easier and a little better?”

Editor’s Note: In recent years, ESPN’s Jon Gruden, Merril Hoge and Matt Millen and former NFL analyst Eric Mangini also participated in the NFL’s USO Tour.