Babineaux ready to return his focus on his career

In July, Babineaux pled guilty to a misdemeanor drug-possession charge that resulted from his bizarre arrest in December. He's one of the quietest members on the team and one of the more active in the community.

The arrest and his record of community service didn't seem to mix. It was a shock to even some of his closest teammates. He said he has learned a valuable lesson.

"Just don't take everything for granted," Babineaux said. "There are a lot of things that I could have done right that night. I made some bad decisions. The good thing is that I get to look back on it and learn from it and try to be a better person for my teammates, this organization and the community."

On Sept. 4, he'll begin to serve his suspension and will not be allowed into the team's facilities until Sept. 13. As a result, he will miss the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 12.

"It's going to be very tough," said Babineaux, who led the team in sacks last season. "It's going to hurt. But I'm going to go out there for these guys in practice and make sure they are ready just like I was there and make sure they do a good job like I know they will. Then with the second game of the season, it will be on."

During the offseason, with his case pending, Babineaux didn’t stop his community service. He continued to champion causes such as working with the Boy Scouts, helping to find homes for foster kids and working at football camps. He and his brother, Jordan, who plays for Seattle, also run a Lupus awareness program in Port Arthur, Texas, their hometown.

"I'm not perfect, but I try to make good use of the [skills] that I have and give back to the future," Babineaux said.

This summer he got to meet Gov. Sonny Perdue and his wife, Mary, when he received a community-service award from the Celebration of Excellence foster-care program.

"It was real cool meeting the governor and his wife," Babineaux said. "I met a lot of kids, and I keep in contact with them to see how they are doing."

He knows that some people may have problems squaring his arrest with his community work.

"The main thing with me being involved in the community is that I'm blessed to be in my position," Babineaux said. "I know how it feels to be underprivileged. I grew up in a household of five children and one parent. We had it rough sometimes. I always told myself, if I made it good, that I'd give back to the community."

Now that Babineaux knows he will miss one game, he can concentrate on football.

"I think we are going to be better than last year," Babineaux said. "We want to be a dominating defense this year."