Arrow sits down in front of the camera, looks at the lens, and looks at the ground
"I didn't live an easy life as a child"
"I grew up in a small town in Richmond, Virginia. I was born the oldest of 3 children, with my brother 4 years younger than me and my sister 6 years younger. At first, it seemed like I a great life. In elementary school, I was always happy, I had a lot of friends, and my parents treated me great. But, something changed when I entered junior high. At the time, I did not know why, but my parents started yelling at me, they were rude to me, and generally did not care about me or anything I was doing.
---
It was hard on me as a young child, not having your parents support. I struggled for a long time with it. I almost turned to a very dark path, but thankfully I had one place where I could really forget about all of my home life struggles, and that was the football field. The gridiron was the one place that really felt like my home. I did not start playing football until sixth grade, where one of my teachers suggested that I try out a sport, and he was the football coach, so he naturally suggested that I try out football. That coach was one of the most important people in my life, and he comes back later in my life.
---
At this time in my life, I wasn't really hanging out with my elementary school friends, and there wasn't any bad fights or breaking moments, we just gradually moved away from each other. I didn't really have any friends for middle school, and this didn't really bother me. I turned into a really independent person, and not in a depressed or sad type of way - I just learned how to sufficiently operate on my own without the help of others.
---
On the football field, I really didn't have a natural position. At first, I tried quarterback. I wasn't terrible at this position, but it just didn't click, and due to my small stature I would have struggle seeing over the offense and defensive lines and I would struggle to be able to throw over incoming defenders. I had the arm and the athleticism for the position, even from a young age, I just didn't have the height to do it. I always knew my height would be an issue, as no one in my family was tall and I was destined to be less than six feet, but I was not going to let that stop me from playing on the field. The next position I attempted to play was linebacker, but that taught me that defense was not the side of the ball for me. I could analyze the quarterback very well, but my hands were too good to be wasted on defense. I was switch to wide receiver before a game was played, and I never stopped playing that position.
---
My first full season playing football went very well. I don't remember the exact stats, but I remember scoring a lot of touchdowns and having a couple really big games. Of course, I had no one at the games watching and cheering me on, but that didn't matter to me. I was playing the game for myself, not for anyone else. At home, my parents slowly stopped yelling at me, but they still refused to talk to me, and I did not talk to them back. I had no idea why things were like this, but it was all I knew, so I accepted it.
---
At school, I never did poorly. I was able to get good grades without really any effort, and it didn't take much time out of my day. School was never really bad or good to me, it was just something to waste the time of my life every day, but I knew I would do well at school so I didn't mind it. I really only made sure that I didn't do terrible in school so I could play football. I understood from an early age that I probably wouldn't get college paid for me, so I had to get at least decent grades to help my chances of a scholarship.
---
The next two years of football in middle school continued to go very well. I remember just loving every minute of it. Middle school football was pretty laid back, so there were only games and some practices, no lifting or super tough workouts. I became acquaintances with all of my teammates. I was not going to hang out with them or anything, or even text or call them outside of football matters, but I could joke with them at practice or talk during games. I enjoyed their presence, and I think they enjoyed mine, so our relationships worked well.
---
In my eighth grade season, we went to the all-state tournament and got second place. It was my first experience with actual competitive football, and it really unlocked something inside of me. I don't know what it was, but something about the idea of playing for something, a common goal, really ignited a fire in me. I was determined to win and win often, a quality I always carried with me on the gridiron. I just loved the feeling of winning, and I was ready for some real football, no more of the middle school game that I played.
---
Just before I entered high school, I made a choice on a whim that changed my life. In retrospect, I would say this was a positive decision - I ran away from home. It was after yet another argument with my parents, and I couldn't take it any more. I went upstairs to my room, packed a backpack and a small suitcase with all of my belongings - my clothing, electronics, money - and just walked out of the front door at midnight. Walking down the street in the early morning, I reflected on my own life and knew that I had to get out and never come back, there was no other choice but to find a new place to live.
---
I was actually very fiscally responsible. I never felt the need to buy anything, and the one thing I would get from my parents was a meal set out on the table (maybe it was cold or a bit stale, but it was food nonetheless). Because of this, I had actually saved up a decent chuck of cash. I went on my phone and looked for the cheapest possible place to stay, and found a decent looking apartment available for a *very* cheap rent. I counted my cash, and found that I had enough money for three months rent. I decided to give them a call as my "dad," and I was able to get away with purchasing the apartment without question about my age.
---
Thankfully, the apartment was only about a 30 minute walk from my school, so I would be able to get to and from school without any issues. When I arrived at the apartment, I asked for keys, and I said that my parents were parking the car and I was supposed to get the keys and go into the room. Of course I was given the key, and with that I was given the key to my freedom. I had a place to live, and I could continue my life the way I knew it had to be.
---
I knew I was going to have to get a job, and I had to get one that would allow me to keep playing football, so I signed up to work for McDonalds. It was easy work, and I would work from 8:00 pm - 3:00 am every day, which would allow me to have a somewhat steady income. I never had to worry about my parents looking for me or making an effort to do so, if the school sent them a form i think they signed off on it just to make it easier on their own lives, which were by no means difficult. I guess they just didn't care that I was gone, but that was honestly the best outcome for both of us. We could both go on our own way and live our own lives.
---
As I knew was coming, high school football was a different kind of experience. It was much more competitive, and I was not going to be given any advantage, just the way I liked it. We now had lifting, which I loved because it was an opportunity to get stronger and support my small frame. I became a monster in the weight room and I gained a reputation for lifting well above my weight. It was a great way for me to get out all of my energy, while also impressing the coaches, who took notice in me from the first day I stepped foot in the team facility.
---
A typical school day went something like the follow: I had my daily classes, followed by a lift and/or football practice, I would then go home for about an hour and a half (from around 6:30-8:30). I would speed through my homework, eat some dinner, and get ready for work. I would then go to work until the early morning, at which point I would slog home and go to sleep for about five hours before I had to get back up for school the next day. I would sleep at least twenty hours over the weekend, it was the only way to keep my sleep schedule somewhat healthy.
---
When football season rolled around, it was time for me to put in real work. The football program was pretty strong overall, but I was able to squeeze my way onto the varsity roster for the first game. I didn't get in much besides on special teams, but I made a couple tackles, and actually recovered a fumble. It was a start, and I knew I wanted more. Every day at practice, I worked harder and harder, determined to get to that starting wide receiver role. An injury to the star senior receiver gave me an opportunity. He tore an ACL and would be for the season, so I was going to be given extended time as the slot receiver.
---
Football season meant that I could not work as much. Thankfully about four months of working had given me a decent reputation with the manager, who was willing to work around my schedule. I continued to pay my rent without any controversies or issues, and I had enough money to go grocery shopping once every couple of weeks and have food and hydration for myself at home. I was living life pretty happily, settling into routines that I was happy to continue throughout the next four years of my life during high school.
---
None of my teammates knew about my personal life. They all figured that I lived with my parents and we were a happy family, and they had no reason not to. I never talked about my home life, and I seemed happy on the field, because the football field was one place where I was happy no matter what. I had gained the trust and respect of my teammates, no small feat for a short freshman who was thrust into a starting role at the varsity level.
---
My freshman season went pretty well, I hauled in a couple touchdowns, gained around 250 yards, and generally was pretty good at blocking and running routes. With much of the other offensive pieces graduating, I was going to be one of the key cogs in a very young offense. I was gaining a lot of speed, making me the most likely candidate to catch deep balls and make that clutch catch in the fourth quarter. A was ready for a being season, and there was going to be no sophomore slump for me.
---
Both my sophomore and junior seasons went very similarly, but this is a very good thing. Both years, I was an All-State and led the division in both receptions and touchdowns. I had back to back 1,000+ yard seasons, and I broke the school's record for total touchdowns in the middle of my sophomore season. I was also being heavily scouted by colleges looking for receiving talent. This excited me, as I knew a scholarship could be my key to getting some national recognition, which could then bring me to the NFL, giving me all I need in my life.
---
I still remember the phone call. It was a late Friday night in August, and I got a call from an unknown number. As I was used to, I had to answer, on the off chance it was someone that knew me or a college sending me a robotic call that they were 'interested in my talents.' Well, it was similar to the latter. It was Georgia Tech. They wanted to give me a full ride scholarship for a combination of academic and athletic achievements. I could not believe it. Georgia Tech was an amazing school with a solid Division 1 football program, and I was not getting very many D1 scouts checking me out. I instantly accepted the scholarship, and later that week I announced my official commitment to play football at Georgia Tech.
---
I was committed before I had stepped foot on the field for my senior season, which took a lot of the pressure off of me to produce. Now, I could focus on getting my team to the state championship, a goal which had eluded us for the prior three seasons. I was a leader on the team, showing young players how to act on the field and off. The football team had acquired a new coach, which just so happened to be that very same middle school coach who told me to try out football in the first place. Everything was lining up for a perfect senior season.
---
The first game of the senior season was shaping up to be as great as I had imagined it. The home crowd was roaring their approval, as I had become a star - at least on the field, and I returned the kickoff for a touchdown to bring the crowd to their feet. At the half, I already had three total touchdowns, and we were up big against our big crosstown rival. As the second half kicked off, our defense forced a fumble and we were immediately back out on the field ready to score. As I got set and ready to run my route, I looked at the quarterback and he gave a nod to me, I knew he was looking only to throw to me. I took off from the line of scrimmage with an immediate burst of separation, but as I took a cut to the right, my right leg gave out and I was on the ground unable to move. I heard the ball hit the ground behind me as I groaned in pain. My right leg felt like it had been torn in half and I knew this was a serious injury.
---
I remember my coach walking over to me and looking over me. He had a look of horror on his face as he had without a doubt seen the injury before and knew what was happening to me. The last thing I remembered was him reaching out to me, before I passed out from pain and woke up again later that night in the hospital bed. I woke up in a cold sweat and called out for a doctor. The doctor told me that I had torn my ACL, a very common non contact injury, that would take me out for 15 months. I was devastated. I had no idea what to do with my life, I couldn't be out on the field for my final season. The realization also slowly came to me that Georgia Tech could pull their scholarship to me. I began to freak out as I phoned the head coach of the football team. He reassured me that their scholarship would stand, *unless* I proved not to be the same player when I returned from injury.
---
The rehab process was long and grueling. I worked as hard as I could to get back as quickly as possible, which led to hours and hours spent doing physical therapy and seeing other doctors to gain treatment to help my injury. I officially quit my job, which I had continued to work at from time to time when the football season was not active to continue gaining income to pay for rent and other needs. My grades also suffered as a focused so heavily on making sure my leg would be back to full strength for the my freshman season in college, in which I knew I had to perform. I didn't even think about anything besides making sure my health was my only priority.
---
Eventually, I graduated from high school, and the process for college quickly came upon myself. The orientation day was spent rolling around in a wheelchair by myself, as I was the only kid I saw without parents there. The university figured I didn't have parents, and I just let them roll with that assumption. Before I knew it, my classes began and I had officially started my college life. I never talked to any of the people I went to hit high school with. I had mild popularity from my football career, but I still was yet to have any true friends, and again I was fine with this.
---
On the first day that I spent in my dorm room, I had no roommate. I wasn't sure if this was by design, or if my roommate had simply not shown up. I was more than happy to have my own room for the next four years, but unfortunately late one night there was a loud knocking at my door and my new roommate was standing in the doorway holding his suitcases. I sluggishly let him in and went back to bed without saying a word. The next day, when I woke up for class, my roommate had already left for his own class. I curiously walked over to his luggage to look for his name and I saw his wallet that he had forgot. His name was Drew Johnston, and I saw that he also was a football player. Knowing this, I went on my phone and looked up his high school football career. It turned out he was also a wide receiver, and he actually also came from Virginia. I was shocked to find out that he played on the team that my team played when I tore my ACL.
---
As I sat in my dorm room, alone as I had been for the last four years of my life, I laid back down in my bed and reflected on my life up to this point and how I had got here. I went from a kid living on his own in high school to a football player at a prestigious university on scholarship. I couldn't believe that I had achieved so much, yet I was so far from my true goal of making the professional leagues. I decided at that point that I was not going to accept anything in my life except playing professional football, and I would continue to do anything it took to reach that goal...
"I didn't live an easy life as a child"
"I grew up in a small town in Richmond, Virginia. I was born the oldest of 3 children, with my brother 4 years younger than me and my sister 6 years younger. At first, it seemed like I a great life. In elementary school, I was always happy, I had a lot of friends, and my parents treated me great. But, something changed when I entered junior high. At the time, I did not know why, but my parents started yelling at me, they were rude to me, and generally did not care about me or anything I was doing.
---
It was hard on me as a young child, not having your parents support. I struggled for a long time with it. I almost turned to a very dark path, but thankfully I had one place where I could really forget about all of my home life struggles, and that was the football field. The gridiron was the one place that really felt like my home. I did not start playing football until sixth grade, where one of my teachers suggested that I try out a sport, and he was the football coach, so he naturally suggested that I try out football. That coach was one of the most important people in my life, and he comes back later in my life.
---
At this time in my life, I wasn't really hanging out with my elementary school friends, and there wasn't any bad fights or breaking moments, we just gradually moved away from each other. I didn't really have any friends for middle school, and this didn't really bother me. I turned into a really independent person, and not in a depressed or sad type of way - I just learned how to sufficiently operate on my own without the help of others.
---
On the football field, I really didn't have a natural position. At first, I tried quarterback. I wasn't terrible at this position, but it just didn't click, and due to my small stature I would have struggle seeing over the offense and defensive lines and I would struggle to be able to throw over incoming defenders. I had the arm and the athleticism for the position, even from a young age, I just didn't have the height to do it. I always knew my height would be an issue, as no one in my family was tall and I was destined to be less than six feet, but I was not going to let that stop me from playing on the field. The next position I attempted to play was linebacker, but that taught me that defense was not the side of the ball for me. I could analyze the quarterback very well, but my hands were too good to be wasted on defense. I was switch to wide receiver before a game was played, and I never stopped playing that position.
---
My first full season playing football went very well. I don't remember the exact stats, but I remember scoring a lot of touchdowns and having a couple really big games. Of course, I had no one at the games watching and cheering me on, but that didn't matter to me. I was playing the game for myself, not for anyone else. At home, my parents slowly stopped yelling at me, but they still refused to talk to me, and I did not talk to them back. I had no idea why things were like this, but it was all I knew, so I accepted it.
---
At school, I never did poorly. I was able to get good grades without really any effort, and it didn't take much time out of my day. School was never really bad or good to me, it was just something to waste the time of my life every day, but I knew I would do well at school so I didn't mind it. I really only made sure that I didn't do terrible in school so I could play football. I understood from an early age that I probably wouldn't get college paid for me, so I had to get at least decent grades to help my chances of a scholarship.
---
The next two years of football in middle school continued to go very well. I remember just loving every minute of it. Middle school football was pretty laid back, so there were only games and some practices, no lifting or super tough workouts. I became acquaintances with all of my teammates. I was not going to hang out with them or anything, or even text or call them outside of football matters, but I could joke with them at practice or talk during games. I enjoyed their presence, and I think they enjoyed mine, so our relationships worked well.
---
In my eighth grade season, we went to the all-state tournament and got second place. It was my first experience with actual competitive football, and it really unlocked something inside of me. I don't know what it was, but something about the idea of playing for something, a common goal, really ignited a fire in me. I was determined to win and win often, a quality I always carried with me on the gridiron. I just loved the feeling of winning, and I was ready for some real football, no more of the middle school game that I played.
---
Just before I entered high school, I made a choice on a whim that changed my life. In retrospect, I would say this was a positive decision - I ran away from home. It was after yet another argument with my parents, and I couldn't take it any more. I went upstairs to my room, packed a backpack and a small suitcase with all of my belongings - my clothing, electronics, money - and just walked out of the front door at midnight. Walking down the street in the early morning, I reflected on my own life and knew that I had to get out and never come back, there was no other choice but to find a new place to live.
---
I was actually very fiscally responsible. I never felt the need to buy anything, and the one thing I would get from my parents was a meal set out on the table (maybe it was cold or a bit stale, but it was food nonetheless). Because of this, I had actually saved up a decent chuck of cash. I went on my phone and looked for the cheapest possible place to stay, and found a decent looking apartment available for a *very* cheap rent. I counted my cash, and found that I had enough money for three months rent. I decided to give them a call as my "dad," and I was able to get away with purchasing the apartment without question about my age.
---
Thankfully, the apartment was only about a 30 minute walk from my school, so I would be able to get to and from school without any issues. When I arrived at the apartment, I asked for keys, and I said that my parents were parking the car and I was supposed to get the keys and go into the room. Of course I was given the key, and with that I was given the key to my freedom. I had a place to live, and I could continue my life the way I knew it had to be.
---
I knew I was going to have to get a job, and I had to get one that would allow me to keep playing football, so I signed up to work for McDonalds. It was easy work, and I would work from 8:00 pm - 3:00 am every day, which would allow me to have a somewhat steady income. I never had to worry about my parents looking for me or making an effort to do so, if the school sent them a form i think they signed off on it just to make it easier on their own lives, which were by no means difficult. I guess they just didn't care that I was gone, but that was honestly the best outcome for both of us. We could both go on our own way and live our own lives.
---
As I knew was coming, high school football was a different kind of experience. It was much more competitive, and I was not going to be given any advantage, just the way I liked it. We now had lifting, which I loved because it was an opportunity to get stronger and support my small frame. I became a monster in the weight room and I gained a reputation for lifting well above my weight. It was a great way for me to get out all of my energy, while also impressing the coaches, who took notice in me from the first day I stepped foot in the team facility.
---
A typical school day went something like the follow: I had my daily classes, followed by a lift and/or football practice, I would then go home for about an hour and a half (from around 6:30-8:30). I would speed through my homework, eat some dinner, and get ready for work. I would then go to work until the early morning, at which point I would slog home and go to sleep for about five hours before I had to get back up for school the next day. I would sleep at least twenty hours over the weekend, it was the only way to keep my sleep schedule somewhat healthy.
---
When football season rolled around, it was time for me to put in real work. The football program was pretty strong overall, but I was able to squeeze my way onto the varsity roster for the first game. I didn't get in much besides on special teams, but I made a couple tackles, and actually recovered a fumble. It was a start, and I knew I wanted more. Every day at practice, I worked harder and harder, determined to get to that starting wide receiver role. An injury to the star senior receiver gave me an opportunity. He tore an ACL and would be for the season, so I was going to be given extended time as the slot receiver.
---
Football season meant that I could not work as much. Thankfully about four months of working had given me a decent reputation with the manager, who was willing to work around my schedule. I continued to pay my rent without any controversies or issues, and I had enough money to go grocery shopping once every couple of weeks and have food and hydration for myself at home. I was living life pretty happily, settling into routines that I was happy to continue throughout the next four years of my life during high school.
---
None of my teammates knew about my personal life. They all figured that I lived with my parents and we were a happy family, and they had no reason not to. I never talked about my home life, and I seemed happy on the field, because the football field was one place where I was happy no matter what. I had gained the trust and respect of my teammates, no small feat for a short freshman who was thrust into a starting role at the varsity level.
---
My freshman season went pretty well, I hauled in a couple touchdowns, gained around 250 yards, and generally was pretty good at blocking and running routes. With much of the other offensive pieces graduating, I was going to be one of the key cogs in a very young offense. I was gaining a lot of speed, making me the most likely candidate to catch deep balls and make that clutch catch in the fourth quarter. A was ready for a being season, and there was going to be no sophomore slump for me.
---
Both my sophomore and junior seasons went very similarly, but this is a very good thing. Both years, I was an All-State and led the division in both receptions and touchdowns. I had back to back 1,000+ yard seasons, and I broke the school's record for total touchdowns in the middle of my sophomore season. I was also being heavily scouted by colleges looking for receiving talent. This excited me, as I knew a scholarship could be my key to getting some national recognition, which could then bring me to the NFL, giving me all I need in my life.
---
I still remember the phone call. It was a late Friday night in August, and I got a call from an unknown number. As I was used to, I had to answer, on the off chance it was someone that knew me or a college sending me a robotic call that they were 'interested in my talents.' Well, it was similar to the latter. It was Georgia Tech. They wanted to give me a full ride scholarship for a combination of academic and athletic achievements. I could not believe it. Georgia Tech was an amazing school with a solid Division 1 football program, and I was not getting very many D1 scouts checking me out. I instantly accepted the scholarship, and later that week I announced my official commitment to play football at Georgia Tech.
---
I was committed before I had stepped foot on the field for my senior season, which took a lot of the pressure off of me to produce. Now, I could focus on getting my team to the state championship, a goal which had eluded us for the prior three seasons. I was a leader on the team, showing young players how to act on the field and off. The football team had acquired a new coach, which just so happened to be that very same middle school coach who told me to try out football in the first place. Everything was lining up for a perfect senior season.
---
The first game of the senior season was shaping up to be as great as I had imagined it. The home crowd was roaring their approval, as I had become a star - at least on the field, and I returned the kickoff for a touchdown to bring the crowd to their feet. At the half, I already had three total touchdowns, and we were up big against our big crosstown rival. As the second half kicked off, our defense forced a fumble and we were immediately back out on the field ready to score. As I got set and ready to run my route, I looked at the quarterback and he gave a nod to me, I knew he was looking only to throw to me. I took off from the line of scrimmage with an immediate burst of separation, but as I took a cut to the right, my right leg gave out and I was on the ground unable to move. I heard the ball hit the ground behind me as I groaned in pain. My right leg felt like it had been torn in half and I knew this was a serious injury.
---
I remember my coach walking over to me and looking over me. He had a look of horror on his face as he had without a doubt seen the injury before and knew what was happening to me. The last thing I remembered was him reaching out to me, before I passed out from pain and woke up again later that night in the hospital bed. I woke up in a cold sweat and called out for a doctor. The doctor told me that I had torn my ACL, a very common non contact injury, that would take me out for 15 months. I was devastated. I had no idea what to do with my life, I couldn't be out on the field for my final season. The realization also slowly came to me that Georgia Tech could pull their scholarship to me. I began to freak out as I phoned the head coach of the football team. He reassured me that their scholarship would stand, *unless* I proved not to be the same player when I returned from injury.
---
The rehab process was long and grueling. I worked as hard as I could to get back as quickly as possible, which led to hours and hours spent doing physical therapy and seeing other doctors to gain treatment to help my injury. I officially quit my job, which I had continued to work at from time to time when the football season was not active to continue gaining income to pay for rent and other needs. My grades also suffered as a focused so heavily on making sure my leg would be back to full strength for the my freshman season in college, in which I knew I had to perform. I didn't even think about anything besides making sure my health was my only priority.
---
Eventually, I graduated from high school, and the process for college quickly came upon myself. The orientation day was spent rolling around in a wheelchair by myself, as I was the only kid I saw without parents there. The university figured I didn't have parents, and I just let them roll with that assumption. Before I knew it, my classes began and I had officially started my college life. I never talked to any of the people I went to hit high school with. I had mild popularity from my football career, but I still was yet to have any true friends, and again I was fine with this.
---
On the first day that I spent in my dorm room, I had no roommate. I wasn't sure if this was by design, or if my roommate had simply not shown up. I was more than happy to have my own room for the next four years, but unfortunately late one night there was a loud knocking at my door and my new roommate was standing in the doorway holding his suitcases. I sluggishly let him in and went back to bed without saying a word. The next day, when I woke up for class, my roommate had already left for his own class. I curiously walked over to his luggage to look for his name and I saw his wallet that he had forgot. His name was Drew Johnston, and I saw that he also was a football player. Knowing this, I went on my phone and looked up his high school football career. It turned out he was also a wide receiver, and he actually also came from Virginia. I was shocked to find out that he played on the team that my team played when I tore my ACL.
---
As I sat in my dorm room, alone as I had been for the last four years of my life, I laid back down in my bed and reflected on my life up to this point and how I had got here. I went from a kid living on his own in high school to a football player at a prestigious university on scholarship. I couldn't believe that I had achieved so much, yet I was so far from my true goal of making the professional leagues. I decided at that point that I was not going to accept anything in my life except playing professional football, and I would continue to do anything it took to reach that goal...
Quote:3271 Words
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