Not long after Friday and his wife, Jen, arrived in Maryland, their daughter, Hailey, was identified as having special needs. Hailey, 8, who attends public school, works with several local health professionals.
Said Friday: "We really enjoy the school district that we're in." He and his wife decided "it would be important to stay in Howard County to take advantage of excellent support services available for children with special needs. The Fridays - who also have a son, Aidan, 5, - agreed not to pursue jobs outside the area.
"For him to be willing to stay in the community and not go out and seek an NFL job, he really is a family guy," said Matt Stover, the Ravens' kicker.
Stover credits Friday with helping him become one of the NFL's top kickers, and the two have become friends. "He's very good with developing relationships," Stover said.
One of Friday's clients is Maddie Henry, a rising sophomore at Glenelg High School. Maddie has been playing lacrosse for three years and wanted to improve her game.
With every client, Friday first conducts an evaluation, looking for areas of weakness. "It gives me a road map" of what state the body is in, where muscles are tight and where they are strong, Friday said.
Maddie, who plays in a summer lacrosse league, said that Friday "encourages me a lot. He'll have me push myself to the limit and really push myself in general" to do well.
Friday also trains Ricky Racks, 15. Ricky plays several sports at Western School of Technology in Baltimore.
At first, Ricky was unaware that Friday is a former NFL strength coach. "I was surprised," Ricky said. "Too many people don't get this opportunity that I have - to work with somebody that actually knows what they're talking about."
Ricky and Maddie have been working with Friday at a Columbia Association facility this summer, but by fall his classes and one-on-one sessions will be offered only at the Y of Central Maryland.
Although he is open to the possibility of returning to the NFL, Friday has been too busy to miss training camp.
"A month from now, when the season gets going, I don't know," he said. "Right now, I'm preoccupied with my other facts of life."
laura@laurashovan.com
