There's a drive inside Bills linebacker Arthur Moats that always keeps him striving for more. This June, Moats received his acceptance letter to enter the graduate program in community and economic development at Empire State College- a State University of New York. His offseason internship played an important role in his decision.
"My internship with the University at Buffalo this offseason led me to wanting to go to graduate school," said Moats. "It opened my eyes to a whole level of education. Seeing how many opportunities and doors would be open by me furthering my education, I felt that was in the best interest for me and my family to apply."
Look around at Bills community events and almost every time, you will see Arthur volunteering. Just this offseason, Moats was selected as the 2013 Buffalo Bills United Way Spokesman. His love and deep passion for community service made his M.A. choice a no-brainer.
"Anytime you're talking about the community, I'm always one of the first to participate," Moats said. "I always feel the more you do in the community, the better it will help out everyone in the long run. From little children to elderly people, it all starts in the community. Once you get everyone working together, it makes everything better."
The Bills linebacker wasted no time. He began the rigorous application process the first week of the Buffalo Bills offseason conditioning program. From sunup to sundown, Arthur was a busy man.
"I had to write two essays to apply," said Moats. "One was about why I wanted to persue a master's degree. The other was writing from the perspective if I was Mayor of a town with problems, what would I do to help the people and fix the town. After I was done with the essays, I received feedback from some of the professors I worked with over at the University at Buffalo. I had to get a few letters of recommendation and send my transcripts to Empire- then wait."
With the NFL regular season rapidly approaching, Moats needed to find a program that was conducive to his schedule. He was attracted to Empire's online master's program.
"When I looked into Empire, I found out they had an online master's program, which will work the best for me with the season approaching," Arthur told buffalobills.com. "I'm taking 10 classes total, and I estimate it will take me two and a half years to get my degree."
The Moat's family is big on education. Arthur's father Arthur Moats II was the first to obtain a graduate degree.
"Academics is really huge to my family. I'm trying to keep up with them academically. They were excited to hear the news."
He's your model NFL player, an educated family man who's good at the game, continuing to follow his passion and curiosity.
"It's easy to find people doing the wrong things," said Arthur. "I always want to be the person that people look up to. That's one of the main reasons I do the things I do. I don't like complacency. I hate to be stuck in the same motion. I like change and doing new things."
Moats will begin his online courses at Empire State College this fall.
I got in!!! @buffalobills @nfl @NFLPlayerEngage pic.twitter.com/21xD84PMUf — Arthur Moats (@dabody52) July 11, 2013
