I can tell by the excitement on your face, as you reach over to hand me my cell phone, that it’s an important call. Looking down at the display screen, I see it’s my agent. You grab our 1 year old child, rushing out the room, while closing the door behind you to allow optimum privacy. This is a business call, and it’s very possible that there may be money on the line. The last thing we need is a crying kid in the background!
As you wait on the living room couch for me to emerge from the bedroom. Your heart begins to beat. What if this is it? What if this is the break our family has been praying for? Every opportunity brings about feelings of optimism and apprehension.
I slowly open the bedroom door, and you can tell by the smile on my face. We’ve got a workout!
You begin to hit me with a barrage of questions, as visions of being on an NFL roster begin to dance in my head. Our 1 year old son begins to get excited. He has no idea what’s going on, he just knows that Mom and Dad are happy, and that’s all that matters to him.
As all 3 family members hug and kiss, reality begins to set in. You start to ask yourself the same questions that always pop up in your head before a big workout. Am I ready? Did I workout hard enough? Is the team sincere?
But hey! Does it really matter? Your jobless. And with every missed opportunity, the day that you have to hang up your cleats and get into the “real world” looms closer. Your flight is tomorrow. NFL teams don’t wast time when they need talent. So whether you are ready or not, you will soon find out.
Your wife begins to pack your suitcase. She’s familiar with the routine. She knows that if you get signed you won’t be back. So she puts a special love letter in the inside lining of your luggage, encloses a pic of her and the baby, and seals it with a kiss.
Her dreams are fully enter-woven with yours. There is no individual success in this family!
The workout notice came so unexpectedly that you didn’t even have the time to download your favorite songs before you had to head out the door. But who cares about music now? You have a workout and a destiny ahead of you. There is something about the call from your agent that just felt right. You usually can control your emotions, but it’s obvious your excited.
The next day comes faster than expected. Maybe it’s because you couldn’t sleep. You spent all night looking at the teams roster to gauge your competition, and where you fit in.
Everything is ready!
You kiss your wife and baby boy goodbye, as you hop in the cab to head to the airport. While looking back at your wife through the rear view window of the cab, you can see the admiration on her face. Which makes you happy. It’s your dream to make your wife proud and give your family the life they deserve.
The flight was smooth, and the reception from the team officials and scouts is warm. The feeling that this is “your time” begins to grow on you. The scout who you are working out in front of confirms that the team needs help at your position, and they are indeed serious about signing you. You smile. It’s showtime!
You start off with a 40 yard dash, and nail it. You go to the Bench Press, and nail it. The last obstacle, is the position drills, and once again, you nail it! You have never looked as fluid, smooth, and strong, as you looked today. In your estimation, the job is yours. You obviously don’t want to be away from your family, but making an NFL roster is a good excuse.
Once you get established, it’s your plan to move the family out with you anyway. So your game plan is already set. Your wife is going to be elated with the news. The news that her baby has accomplished his dream of being on an NFL roster.
That’s when you notice the head scout coming over to talk to you. You quickly realize that the look on his face isn’t a look of joy. He pulls you into his office, and explains that everyone loved your workout. However, during your workout, their star offensive tackle went down in practice with a terrible knee injury, and now your position is no longer the teams top priority. He shakes your hand, wishes you the best of luck, and summons his errand boy to take you back to the airport.
As you arrive at the airport, you realize your wife has already left 3 messages on your voice mail. One of which says, “I know you got signed, you need to stop playing around and call me”.
That’s when the anger begins to build, and the resentment starts to set in. You want to quit. It’s too painful!
Every missed opportunity takes a piece of you. It’s not the work you put in to get prepared that bothers you, and it’s really not even the team telling you no.
The part that takes a piece of you, is when you arrive back home, stare your beautiful wife and kid in the face, and have to say “NOT THIS TIME BABY”!
* To all of the players and families, who are living this reality now. Before You Go Pro, salutes you and is rooting for you. Keep pushing for your dreams. We will see you at the top!
