By: Christina Cantero
mlive.com
ALAMAZOO, MI -- When Kalamazoo native Todd "T.J." Duckett was cut after eight years in the National Football League, he was left with no direction or purpose.
His post-football depression ended, he says, when he started volunteering, and later decided to start his non-profit organization, New World Flood.
"At 29, I had no direction, and I was depressed for two years," Duckett told students at Plainwell High School on Thursday. "I had to find a new path, and a new way of living."
Duckett's message to Plainwell students during a school assembly was clear and concise: "Go and volunteer."
The 32-year-old shared his own experience with volunteering and how he stumbled upon the opportunity to give back to the community.
"I became a serial volunteer," said Duckett, who volunteered at different organizations around his community for an hour a week before he founded the New World Flood.
The Loy Norrix High School graduate was a running back at Michigan State for two years then was drafted into the NFL in 2002. Duckett started his professional football career with the Atlanta Falcons, and later played for the Detroit Lions, Washington Redskins and Seattle Seahawks.
"We're thrilled to have (Duckett) here," said Michelle Neel, a counselor at Plainwell High School. "His message about giving back to the community and making a difference is great."
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