By Troy Vincent
NFL Player Engagement
"I found every single successful person I've ever spoken to had a turning point. The turning point was when they made a clear, specific unequivocal decision that they were going to achieve success. Some people make that decision at 15 and some people make it at 50, and most people never make it at all." ~ Brian Tracy, Motivational Self-Help Author
A “turning point” is defined as “a point at which a decisive change takes place; a critical point; a crisis.” It’s also described as a point when something changes direction, especially a high or low point on a graph. We all know all too well the turning points of highs and lows.
In the NFL, turning points come with the territory. That’s why NFL Player Engagement provides you with substantive support as you navigate the turning points that inevitably become an intrinsic part of the NFL experience.
I believe there are two major turning points in our careers. The first is that day we become an NFL player. The second is that emotionally charged, gut-wrenching moment when those playing days are over.
The official end of our playing experience is a colossal turning point; one that takes all of our determination, faith, and experience to face life’s challenges in finding our “new normal.” The better prepared we are for this inevitable day, the more successful we will be in navigating the turning points ahead as we find our way in living a full, satisfying, and meaningful life beyond the field.
The same year former Buffalo Bills quarterback and NFL Hall of Famer Jim Kelly retired, he and his wife Jill had their only son, Hunter. Jim says this was his most life-changing event. Although Jim had already begun embarking on many post-football endeavors, he found his true calling when eight-year-old Hunter, born with Krabbe disease, died in 2005. Out of the depth of a pain that only a parent who has lost a child knows, Jim found what he cites as his true purpose.
Since then, both Jim and Jill have dedicated their lives to increasing public awareness of early detection and treatment of Krabbe disease. True to the definition of a turning point, Jim admits to experiencing many ups and downs in his life, but believes that when faced with obstacles, losses and changes in life, what matters most is what you do about it.
Jamie Dukes, former offensive lineman for the Falcons, Packers, and Cardinals, and now an analyst for NFL Network, wholeheartedly agrees with Kelly.
Jamie’s personal turning points not only prompted him to make major changes in his own life, but motivated him to devote substantial amounts of time and energy to helping other former players make healthy changes of their own.
Jamie says he has had several turning point moments in his post-playing days and all of them were profound. He says the most notable turning point came when he looked down at the scale and faced the fact that he was tipping it at 400 pounds. He was overweight, had high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and he knew needed to do something about it.
What also motivated Jamie to make positive decisions and make important changes that helped him lose weight and develop a healthy lifestyle, was the startling fact that he also witnessed the death of seven of his former teammates in a relatively short period of time. All of the players died before they reached 50, and all died from conditions such as heart disease, sleep apnea, stroke, and other co-morbid related diseases, all of which are linked to obesity.
Along with his wife, Angela, Jamie founded the Put Up Your Dukes Foundation and has made it his mission to make fellow retired players aware that diseases of excess weight can take your life.
Both Jim Kelly and Jamie Dukes faced significant turning points in their post-football lives and, with determination and conviction, found their own life’s mission within them.
To learn more about Jim and Jill Kelly’s mission or Jamie and Angela Dukes’ foundation, please visit:
Jim Kelly: http://www.huntershope.org/
Jamie Dukes: www.puydf.org