The things that stuck out to me were my age and my body. It first started when I tore my ACL in a contract year. I didn't know if I was going to get to play again. I was injured with four games left, and I quickly realized nobody was going to sign me hurt. It was an eye-opener. I could feel I had one foot in and one foot out. I was able to prepare for that moment to come and gave myself one full year of training. If I didn't get a phone call or an opportunity during that full year, I decided I was going to retire.
The feeling of not knowing if I’d play again ultimately allowed me to start putting things in position for my future. I used to be a barber, and I learned how to cut in high school. I took those skills to college to have money for food and gas. When I got drafted, I stopped cutting. I always wanted to get my barber license. I should have never put it on the back burner. After tearing my ACL, I decided I could stress myself out sitting around, training, waiting on a phone call or I could say, ‘no way,’ and see it as a great time to dive in, get my barber license and be prepared.