I was just a kid when I started playing football. [chuckle]
I was scared.
The other guys were so big!
But I was fast.
And I was determined.
I remember that first touchdown.
There was a busted play in the fourth quarter.
I picked up a fumble
and boy, I just kept runnin’.
Took it all the way to the end zone.
I can still hear the crowd...and the blood pounding in my ears.
That feeling...it was like nothing I ever felt before.
The fans were going insane. My teammates were so proud of me.
I knew right then...football was my future.
So I kept going, playing every game like it was the only game.
And the doors just kept opening.
High school. College. The pros.
Super Bowl champions? Just incredible.
And through it all, it was always about the team.
We did it together, won every game together.
We had a playbook. We had each other’s backs.
And then one day it was gone.
Football was gone.
My team was gone.
I was really on my own for the first time.
Who and what was I without football?
It’s the only thing I ever cared about or even knew how to do.
That's when the NFL Player's Association reached out and reminded me
that I still had my team.
They, and all the other former NFL players,
were there to help me take the next step.
To find my way.
I can’t tell you how important that was to me at that point—
to know I still had my football family.
The NFL Players Association provides lifelong assistance
to the NFL’s nearly 2,200 active players
and 3,200 former players.
They use Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Azure
to more intelligently manage data
and quickly zero in on opportunities and connections
to help guys like me succeed on and off the field.
They helped me find my way back to school, to get a master’s degree.
Helped me figure out things like health insurance, how to invest my money.
They helped me create a playbook for the rest of my life.
And that’s made all the difference.
That feeling... it was like nothing I ever felt before.