Dallas Cowboys center Travis Frederick enjoys a hobby that would probably surprise a lot of fans.
The veteran All-Pro told The Ben and Skin Show on KRLD/105.3 The Fan that he has become an avid Dungeons and Dragons player online.
The fantasy role-playing game, which started as a board game in the 1970s, has evolved into a massive online game in which players compete against others via the Internet.
Frederick's interest in D&D helped him fill a void while he was battling Guillain-Barre syndrome last year. He missed the entire season while recovering. His interest in the game also helped him reconnect with friends back home in Wisconsin.
"It's been really good," he said. "It allowed me to escape the world I was living in and live in this other world for hours at a time."
Frederick admits "You wouldn't necessarily think I would do that," but that's part of the game's appeal, he said.
"It's very different from what I do on a normal basis. It's a way that I escape," he said.
Currently, Frederick is role-playing as an Elf Monk and uses no weapons to fight the bad guys, only his bare hands.
Just like on the football field, Frederick said he continues to improve the more he plays.
Most of the players he's competing with know about his NFL pedigree, but it's entirely possible there's a costumed uber nerd out there who has no idea he's playing an NFL All-Pro in an online fantasy.
"I continue to try to improve each session," he said. "Maybe the cos play is coming."
