Las Vegas Raiders veteran running back Brandon Bolden has been in the National Football League for quite some time now.
The second-year Raider enters his 11th NFL season, and at the age of 33, he is one of the five oldest players currently on the Raiders' roster.
As much of an achievement as it is to stay in the league for over a decade, some of Bolden's teammates will poke fun at the veteran's age.
"I just take it most of the time," Bolden told reporters on Friday. "It doesn't really bother me. I mean, when I came into the league -- and they laugh at me when I say these names -- my first spring practice, Chad 'Ochocinco' [Johnson] was there, Deion Branch was there, and I got a few rookies who was looking at me like, 'Who are those guys?' So, I've been around a long time, but I caught a lot of those guys towards the end of their career, and they played a long time.
"So, it's kind of almost refreshing to be like, 'Yeah, I've been in here this long, and I've got to see a lot of great players play this game and got to watch them like actually get out there and play and walk away from this game.' And I keep in contact with a few of them. So, it's a few jabs here and there. Couple of low blows. And it's just like, 'All right, you got that.'"
Even though the training camps add up year after year, it never gets old for Bolden.
"Like I was telling the young guys, it's like the first day of school for me, forever. So, this is like my 12th camp. So, you know, just getting ready day before, make sure you get enough rest, stay hydrated, the whole nine [yards]. And then my son, he's 12, and so, he's kind of staying on me. He was like, 'Look, you can't get showed up, old man,' and stuff like that. So, I got not only the young guys on this team, but I got my son pushing me as well."
The Silver and Black open the preseason by hosting the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Aug. 13, at 4 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. PDT.
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