Colton Underwood

Although I spent the majority of my career on the practice squad, I think the proudest moment I have is knowing I gave my all every single day in practice. I understood my role was to make my teammates better and to push the guys who were playing every Sunday.

At times it could be frustrating to be on a practice squad, but I was very prideful in the work I was doing. I knew the role I had on a team. Everybody has a different role, whether they’re a star player or a role player, everybody matters. I can look back at my career and that’s what I'm proud of.

The first thought was obviously, ‘This is scary,’ because I've committed so much of my life to this sport. In some ways, it was all I ever knew. It helped shape me into the person I am today. A few months after, I was able to look back on my career and know I made the right decision moving forward.

My first year out of the league was extremely difficult. An injury forced me to retire, so the hardest part for me was having to go through the grievance process to recoup part of my contract, having to pay for medical bills out of pocket, etc. It was very difficult for me to navigate the business aspect of the NFL.

I always told myself I was never going to let the game of football define me as a person. I always found something in the offseason to keep me busy, whether it was snowboarding, scuba diving, playing basketball, etc. I tried to keep myself busy outside of film study, weightlifting, and running.

The Colton Underwood Legacy Foundation was started in 2015, around the same time my little cousin Harper was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. Launching the Legacy Project is definitely my proudest moment post-football. It went from a small, hometown, charity football camp fundraiser to now a national level campaign I am running.

A lot of the skills I learned playing football transferred to real life. From dealing with adversity and persevering through tough times, to communication and leadership. Pretty much anything and everything I learned in the game of football I apply to my daily life.

I had watched the show before and knew a little bit about it. For me, I think going on ‘The Bachelorette’ was one of the first things I ever did solely for myself. Looking back, I realized I gave everything I had to the game of football. I put my personal life on the back seat. For once, it was nice to really be able to focus on my personal life and finding time to just date. It was an unbelievable experience.

I'm looking forward to everybody getting to know me for who I really am. That’s one thing I'm really hoping for out of these next few months. Looking back on ‘The Bachelorette’ and ‘Bachelor in Paradise,’ you don’t get a full picture of who I am, rightfully so. I’m excited for the opportunity to share my experience with everyone.

Since my career ended with an injury grievance, my NFLPA lawyer told me about The Trust, and wanted to make sure I was capitalizing and using all the benefits provided to me.

After visiting The Trust on my wraparound visit, it was everything and more I had ever expected. Just like anything in life, I wanted to make sure I was getting the most out of it. The Trust and the NFLPA have done a great job of setting up this transitional period for players like myself who don't really know exactly what's next, but know they want to continue to work hard and bring some of the same attributes they brought to the game of football to passions that they have in life.