Whether your football career will end after High School, College or the NFL, one thing is for sure, it will end. So the question is, “What can I do now, during my football years, to prepare for life after football?” Most players are not thinking, “What’s going to happen when I exit?” Rather, most are thinking that the fun has just begun.
Anybody who has played long enough understands there is a difficult transition that comes with shelving the shoulder pads forever. When Tiki Barber’s post-football plans fizzled, the former Giants running back fell into a funk. What Barber learned firsthand is how debilitating that process can be when your post-football plans fail. Players who’ve lived a dream life on the field suddenly discover how tough the world can be away from it.
“Everybody does go through it to a certain degree,” said former NFL quarterback Trent Green, who went into broadcasting after his career. “The hardest part is your daily routine. For 15 years, I knew exactly what I was doing in March, June and September because there was a schedule. When you take that away, you suddenly have a lot more time on your hands. I’ve been out of the game since 2008, and I still have a tough time with it. I find myself thinking, ‘What’s my motivation today?'”
Every player will have a different journey after football. Here eight things to consider as you prepare for life after football:
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