QB Kitna Will Give Away One-Game Comeback Check

To the school where he's now a math teacher
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 26, 2013 2:37 PM CST
QB Kitna Will Give Away One-Game Comeback Check
In this Feb. 7, 2012, file photo provided by Tacoma Public Schools, recently retired NFL quarterback Jon Kitna instructs algebra students at Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Wash.   (AP Photo/Tacoma Public Schools, Casey Madison, File)

A Washington state math teacher will be suiting up for the Cowboys on Sunday—and he won't make a dime off the experience. News broke yesterday that Dallas would be bringing on former backup quarterback Jon Kitna for the game, and as if that in itself weren't a feel-good story, the Dallas Morning News reports that the 41-year-old will donate his entire $53,000 paycheck for the experience to the Tacoma high school where he teaches math and coaches football.

When Kitna heard that Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was suffering from a herniated disk—the same injury that forced Kitna to retire after the 2011 season—he texted coach Jason Garrett and offered his services. Garrett took Kitna up on the offer without a tryout thanks to his knowledge of the Cowboys' offense. "He's a mentally tough guy … and he's certainly very young at heart," Garrett says. Kitna will man the scout squad against backup Kyle Orton in practice—much as he does for the Lincoln High School Abes. (More Jon Kitna stories.)

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