Where were you at in your professional life at the age of 28?\u00a0 Or, for the younger generation of readers, where do you see yourself when you are 28 years old?\u00a0 For anyone that is not a professional athlete, the average answer for some would be, finishing a masters or doctorial degree, starting a new business, establishing a Roth IRA, or even starting a family.\u00a0 Now ask this of an NFL player and he will say one word, retired.<\/p>\n
The average age of retirement for a professional football player is 28.\u00a0 Granted, there are men who we have seen play way past that age, and some who should have stopped while they were ahead.\u00a0 Most people at this point in life still have 37 years of work ahead of them.\u00a0 If one retires at 28, he or she still has 2\/3 of life left to fulfill.\u00a0 Sounds nice at first, but if you are a football player, once next year\u2019s OTA\u2019s start, and Nike did not send you a new uniform, reality sets in.\u00a0 And guess what?\u00a0 You are bored.<\/p>\n
Life is what you make of it.\u00a0 Such a clich\u00e9 statement, but it holds truth.\u00a0 Hopefully you were a player who was smart with your money throughout your employment and did not blow it all on McMansions and fun toys, among other things.\u00a0 Hopefully you were cautious and did not let fame get to your head.\u00a0 Hopefully you appreciated the privilege of playing for such a pristine sports league, and a well respected team (insert New York Jets here).\u00a0 These are all factors which one has control over.\u00a0 What about the factors that cannot be controlled?<\/p>\n
The termination of an NFL player\u2019s career can mainly happen two ways.\u00a0 The first is retirement. This is controlled because it is a player\u2019s choice.\u00a0 The second is being cut, or waived for a more respectable term.\u00a0 Being a part of the Waiver Wire System is controllable to a point.\u00a0 A team\u2019s final decision to waive a player (uncontrolled) is determined by the performance of the player (controlled).\u00a0 If the latter occurs, a player patiently waits until he is picked up by another team.\u00a0 In the unfortunate event he is not picked up, hopefully he has his college degree to fall back on and can continue life with a larger bank account to kick start his new journey.<\/p>\n
What is the point I am trying to make here?<\/p>\n
With respect to the current tragedies that have been making headlines in the world of the NFL, I think more attention needs to be focused on the after-life of a football player.\u00a0 Unfortunately sometimes it is too late to observe the effects of long-term injuries, and take corrective action.\u00a0 A player does not necessarily need to be injured or encounter high-impact collisions in order to be cared for.\u00a0 Everyone should walk away from employment with the NFL with some form of appreciation and care being shown towards them.\u00a0\u00a0 I am not talking about monetary value here.\u00a0 I mean genuine support and guidance.\u00a0 Twenty eight years old, or even thirty five for that matter, still gives a person time to explore new opportunities in life.\u00a0 Colleges offer programs to graduating students and guide them with career placement.\u00a0 The NFL does offer something of similar stature.<\/p>\n
Kudos go to Troy Vincent, the NFL\u2019s Vice President for Player Engagement, and his aid in helping players prepare for the next life steps after football.\u00a0 According to an interview on blackenterprise.com<\/a>, Vincent explains the three programs formulated to guide players.<\/p>\n Shifting gears to the dark side in regard to the negative effects of high-impact injuries; I would like to commend my man, Ray Lucas.\u00a0 Every football fan knows the former number six Jet has not held back on sharing his experience of pain and strife with his addiction to prescription pain killers.\u00a0 Lucas admits the pain does not fully go away, and he still struggles every now and then.\u00a0 However, to accept the fact one has an addiction and then to ask for help is an accomplishment all on its own.\u00a0 He took a step back and realized all that life had to offer him and knew he had to turn everything around for the best.\u00a0 Now for the most part he is pain-free, both physically and mentally.\u00a0 Lucas uses his story as a precautionary example for other NFL players, and encourages them to check out www.TurnToHelp.com<\/a>\u00a0 (www.utsandiego.com\/news\/2012<\/a>).<\/p>\n Other notable football players have put their fame and knowledge to good use after playing for the NFL.\u00a0 Many players have formed charities and raised both money and awareness for a cause that has usually affected the player on a personal level.\u00a0 Boomer Esiason is a sports commentator and one of the hosts of the Boomer and Carton show.\u00a0 If you know me by now, you know this is my favorite show, and has helped me survive some tough morning commutes.\u00a0 He has also raised awareness about cystic fibrosis with his foundation, www.esiason.org<\/a>.\u00a0 Ray Lucas is now a New York Jets commentator on Sports New York Television.\u00a0 You do not have to be retired to support a charity.\u00a0 The Jets are notorious for their recognition and support with charity work.\u00a0 Mark Sanchez supports the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.\u00a0 Santonio Holmes raises money for Sickle Cell Disease, which, by the way, I am supporting this upcoming October 15th.\u00a0 Check out nyjets.com<\/a> and JetNation.com<\/a> for details.<\/p>\n If you were to take anything from this article, please understand that my focus is for fans and the average Joe, to understand that the life of a professional football player is not all glitz and glamour.\u00a0 They do something they love, and take risks not only for them, but for us, the audience as well.\u00a0 The next time you hear someone criticize the amount of money a football player makes, remind them of the underlying factors involved with the sport.<\/p>\n Taking hard hits is a part of the game, and accepting the high risk is par for the course.\u00a0 I am not advocating the commission enforce 97 more rules to soften the blow for players.\u00a0 We have enough flags being thrown in the game so there is no need to transition into flag football.\u00a0 I do not see ice hockey changing the rules every year.\u00a0 Every sport involves risks.\u00a0 Pick and choose your battles wisely and reap the benefits.\u00a0 Especially those of the NFL (insert New York Jets here).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Where were you at in your professional life at the age of 28?\u00a0 Or, for the younger generation of readers, where do you see yourself when you are 28 years old?\u00a0 For anyone that is not a professional athlete, the average answer for some would be, finishing a masters or doctorial degree, starting a new 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