NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Titans receivers Nate Washington and Damian Williams and tight ends Craig Stevens and Taylor Thompson visited patients at St. Thomas Hospital Tuesday.
The Titans players wished the patients to speedy recoveries, signed autographs, posed for pictures and talked about Sunday's historic victory against the Detroit Lions and other topics.
"It's definitely good anytime you are able to come out and do some things like this and see some people that are having a little hard time at the moment," Washington said. "To put a little smile on their face, it kind of uplifts your day, uplifts what you're doing and gives you a better insight on life and what you're doing. It's definitely a good opportunity to come out and meet some of these people."
One family that Washington and Williams visited were the Tuckers from Central City, Ky. Carolyn Tucker was recovering from hip replacement surgery while her husband of 53 years, Joe Ben, was also having hip replacement surgery.
Carolyn Tucker said she watched the game at her daughter's house before having her surgery. Two of their four children, Tim and Ted, were in Carolyn's room and also enjoyed the visit.
Tim Tucker has been a season-ticket holder from the team's first season as the Titans (1999) and was excited to meet the players.
He said Washington's catch "was unbelievable."
"It was one of the best catches I've ever seen, and special teams were phenomenal," Tim Tucker said.
Washington was able to relate well to one patient recovering from surgery on her patella because he had a similar surgery in the offseason.
Williams said he appreciated the opportunity to visit the patients and wish them well.
"Anytime I get a chance to go back into the community and give back, just even if it's a little bit of time or a smile, it's always a blessing for me," Williams said. "Because I do, like Nate said, get a different perspective on life and get to realize what's really important in life. This football thing can be gone at any time, but these people have families and their everyday jobs and just seeing the community around them is always a blessing for me."
Jamie Aulsebrook, of Murfreesboro, was one of the patients that Stevens and Thompson visited. Aulsebrook said meeting pro football players for the first time brightened her day.
"I think it's so cool," Aulsebrook said. "I was able to see (Sunday's) game, they got the win, and then yesterday I asked God to do something special for me, and they came to see me." Today's visits were a continuation of "Titans Tuesdays" in which players make weekly visits to either Saint Thomas or Baptist Hospital, the team's healthcare partner.
