CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Court TV) — Leonard Wheeler used to throw blocks to help his fellow Carolina Panthers gain big yardage. He took the stand Tuesday for Rae Carruth's defense team in an attempt to prevent his former teammate from being tackled by the legal system.

While the defense opened its case with a flurry of police witnesses and even a prosecutor, attorney David Rudolf put two pro football players on the stand Tuesday afternoon.

Both Wheeler, currently off the field with an injury, and Panthers full-back William Floyd were Carruth's teammates at the time Cherica Adams, the woman carrying his baby, was fatally shot.

On the stand, both athletes portrayed themselves as happily married fathers who regularly volunteer to help underprivileged kids — a stark contrast to the one professional athlete called to the stand by the prosecution. Basketball player Charles Shackleford sweated through his testimony about statements incriminating Carruth told to him by his mistress, Candace Smith.

Wheeler, who smiled and winked at Carruth as he stepped into the witness box, said that he recently spoke to a teen group at a local church where he not only answered questions about a game penalty, but shared with them the "gospel of Christ." Carruth, he testified, volunteered with him at a charity bowling event and other youth outreach programs.

He also explained the pitfalls of being a professional athlete — and the risks of showing kindness to the wrong people who "ease their way into your life" for their own personal gains.

"Coming into the NFL, you're a player who never had any money. There are many people who want to be associated with you. People all of sudden become your friends who were not your friends," Wheeler said. "It's easy to get caught up with it."

Wheeler said he has survived nine years in the NFL by setting boundaries and choosing his friends carefully.

On cross-examination, prosecutors used Wheeler's injury to show the jury Carruth's state of mind at the time Adams was shot. The state contends that a string of injuries left Carruth's career — and finances — in a state of limbo, giving him enough reason not to want to pay child support.

Wheeler conceded that, although being off the field because of an injury is "tough," it's manageable.

Prosecutor David Graham asked Wheeler if his injuries were "an added pressure," to which Wheeler replied, "Compared to what?"

"Compared to being healthy?" Graham shot back.

Wheeler agreed, but wouldn't budge when asked whether Carruth's injuries put an added pressure on him.

"I don't know," he said. "I can't speak for everybody."

Wheeler was one of several teammates who saw Carruth on Nov. 15, 1999, just hours before the ill-fated date Carruth had with Adams. The players were gathered for a video football tournament at Floyd's house.

In his testimony that followed, Floyd, a father of three, said he had to pry Carruth away from playing with one of his young children to get the video game started.

Floyd described Carruth as a "fun-loving guy" who enjoys life and likes to tell jokes.

Floyd said he didn't know that Carruth was expecting the birth of his second child and that, contrary to testimony by Candace Smith, none of the Panthers teased Carruth about impregnating a stripper.

Graham tried to press Floyd for insight into locker room banter, but Floyd wouldn't budge.

"Basically what you have is a bunch of big babies in the locker room. Everybody's there to do one thing $#151; to win football games," he said.

Also taking the stand was Erica Crawford of Bank of America, Carruth's personal banker. According to Crawford, Carruth asked her to issue a $1,260 check to Adams one month before the shooting.

Crawford described Carruth as a "very profitable customer" who was never overdrawn or showed any other signs of money problems.