• Reporter: Robert Hornacek

GREEN BAY - Milwaukee-native Danny Gokey sang his way into the hearts of millions of viewers on American Idol this year. Sunday, people put their hand on their hearts while he sang the National Anthem at Lambeau Field. Gokey is on a promotional tour for his soon-to-be released first album. His first single, "My Best Days are Ahead of Me" is already available online.

"It's just a great reflection of where I'm at in my life," Gokey said in an interview with FOX 11. "I really feel like a lot of people knew me on the show through the tragedy that I went through and it was a rough time in my life. But I kept the right focus and something good came out of something so tragic."

Four weeks before he auditioned for American Idol, Gokey's wife Sophia died from complications of heart surgery. Gokey set up a foundation called Sophia's Heart in honor of his wife.

"My foundation is my wife's legacy," Gokey said. "We're touching children and we're reaching families and we're just making a difference as much as we can."

Members of the foundation set up booth in the Lambeau Field Atrium. The foundation is raising money to build community centers focused on the arts.

"Our goal is to heal and mend the hearts of children and families that come from poverty, disease, illness, just basically broken homes," said Marilyn Rosado, program director for Sophia's Heart.

The 9th season of American Idol premieres Tuesday, January 12th on FOX 11. Gokey said he is planning to watch the new season of the show that made him famous. But his focus is on the future, both his and others as well.

"My best days have happened since American Idol," Gokey told FOX 11. "I want to make sure good days happen for other people now."

In sports, coaches and players are often let go when they don’t deserve it.

But in Green Bay, it’s a 22-year veteran of the stadium’s maintenance crew who said he unfairly got the boot.

Mike Wood told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he was fired for something he told Packers’ coach Mike McCarthy three days before their emotionally-charged game against Brett Favre and the Vikings.

He said he told McCarthy “Let’s get the boys ready to kick some butt this weekend.”

Wood then thought nothing of it until Sunday, when the field manager said he heard Wood tell the coach, “Don’t lay an egg.”

Wood denied saying that. But he told the Journal Sentinel the facilities manager confronted him about it moments later and before he knew it, he was escorted out of Lambeau.

In a statement, the Packers confirmed Wood’s firing, and said his supervisors determined he made an inappropriate comment.

The Packers said they have standards of conduct that apply to all employees, full-time and part-time.

At 53, Wood said it was going to be his last year anyway but it was not the way he expected to go out.

He said he’ll go to his grave knowing he didn’t tell the coach not to lay an egg.