"When my D1 college football career ended, I didn't just lose the game. I lost my identity. Football had structured my entire life: my schedule, my body, my purpose. When that structure disappeared, I didn't know who I was anymore. I had been living what I now recognize as a lukewarm lifestyle, doing just enough to get by, but not anchored in anything solid. Without football, there was nothing left to lean on."
"By the end of 2019, I was already drifting. In December of that year, one of my best friends, Clay Beathard, died unexpectedly. Clay wasn't just a friend; he was family. Losing him right before the world shut down shook me deeply. A few months later, COVID hit, and with it came the official end of my collegiate football career. There was no closure. No final season. No transition. Just silence."
"Grief and uncertainty compounded quickly. I withdrew from people. I stopped training. I stopped caring for my body. I gained weight rapidly and avoided mirrors. By the time I finally confronted reality, I weighed around 300 pounds. At my lowest point, I was living at home and working at FedEx, making roughly $400 a week. There is nothing wrong with honest work, but for me, it symbolized how far I had fallen from the man I once believed I was called to be."
After a D1 college football career ended abruptly, identity and daily structure disappeared. Football had provided schedule, physical conditioning, and a sense of purpose. A close friend's sudden death in December 2019 and the arrival of COVID compounded grief and left no closure, leading to social withdrawal and a halt to training. Physical health declined rapidly, reaching about 300 pounds, and daily work at FedEx reflected a sense of failure and spiritual emptiness. A sincere prayer sparked a commitment to change. Embracing boxing, discipline, and faith led to a 120-pound weight loss and a restored sense of direction and self-worth.
Read at Business Insider
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