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NFL careers are short and NFL players often find themselves without a path forward after retiring when they hang up their cleats.
If one plays football their entire lives, from high school to college to the NFL, it becomes difficult for them to think of anything they can do after retiring because football is perhaps the only thing they know.
Also Read: 5 NFL players who have quietly retired so far in 2021
After retiring, many footballers tend to focus on staying within football and joining either the broadcasting or coaching side. But there have been some NFL players who have done extremely well since retiring by exploring the world outside football.
Here we give a list of five such players.
NFL players who chose a career away from football after retiring
#1 - Frank Gore, Boxer
Frank Gore made a name for himself as a running back in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers. He also played for the Colts, Dolphins, Bills and Jets before retiring.
In the NFL, he holds the record for most games played by a running back. In addition to that, he recorded 16,000 rushing yards in his playing career, which is the third-highest in the league and he holds the franchise record for the 49ers in rushing yards.
During his career, he was voted to the Pro Bowl five times.
Since retiring, Frank Gore has focused on competitive boxing. In fact, when he called time on the NFL after 2020, he still had some offers from NFL teams.
But Frank Gore turned them down and is now focusing on his boxing career. He did not have the most auspicious of starts, though, as he lost to Deron Williams recently in an exhibition match.
#2 - Myron Rolle, Neurosurgeon
Myron Rolle has to be the brainiest man on this list, quite literally, since he is now a resident neurosurgeon. Unlike others who figure out what they want to do before after retiring, Myron Rolle always knew he wanted to be a doctor.
Even in college, when he was playing for FSU, he got a Rhodes Scholarship and studied for a year at Oxford University right before entering the NFL. He was selected as a safety by the Tennessee Titans in the 2010 NFL Draft.
He did not play any regular-season games in the NFL with them for two seasons. He was then signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers to their practice squad, but Myron Rolle had other designs on what he wanted to practice.
Medicine is his true calling and we wish the Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital neuroscience resident all the best ahead.
NFL players who did differently after retiring
#3 - Drew Bledsoe, Wine Entrepreneur
Next up on our list of players who chose a different career after retiring is Drew Bledsoe. He is perhaps best known for getting injured as the starting New England Patriots quarterback against the New York Jets, which launched the career of Tom Brady.
Drew Bledsoe does not get the credit he deserves for turning around the New England Patriots, making them contenders again in the playoffs and reaching one Super Bowl.
But one area where his success is not in doubt is what he has done since retiring.
He founded Doubleback Winery, which has been recognized for producing some of the finest wines in the country. His wines have been included in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines and just like them, Drew Bledsoe's careering seems to be getting finer with time, especially ever since retiring.
#4 - Burgess Owens, Congressman
Burgess Owens played as a safety for the New York Jets and the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. During his time playing in the NFL, he was a regular starter for the Jets and won the 1980 Super Bowl XV with the Raiders.
Also Read: 5 former NFL players who are playing in the Spring League 2021 football season
He has had an interesting career since retiring from the NFL. He was part of a business venture that failed.
Then he became a chimney sweeper, a security guard and a sales executive. But it is his present profession that he is most widely recognized.
Since 2021, he has been the incumbent congressman for Utah's 4th District in the House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican party and sits on the Judiciary committee and the Education & Labor committee.
#5 - Bill Goldberg, Professional Wrestler
Bill Goldberg is perhaps better known for his exploits after retiring from the NFL than whatever he did during his career in the league. In many ways, his NFL career remains an afterthought.
He played as a defensive tackle with the Rams, Falcons and Panthers. In fact, he was the first player ever to be cut by the Panthers in their history.
After retiring from the NFL in 1995, he joined the professional wrestling circuit and became one of the most recognizable faces of the wrestling boom.
He is known majorly for his involvement in the WCW and WWE wrestling events. He took a hiatus from wrestling from 2004 to 2016, during which time he became an MMA commentator and presented shows and did some acting roles.
