CANTON, Ohio — NFL players face profound challenges in transitioning to their post-football lives.
Mentally. Physically. Financially. Very few experience a seamless adjustment.
From the outside, it looks like Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez was one of the few who enjoyed a smooth exit. During a media session before his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Saturday, Gonzalez said that wasn't the case.
"I had a plan," he said. "Always. But it takes time. It wasn't smooth sailing for me after I got done playing. Even though i had this great job at CBS (as an analyst), there was still something in me that wasn't quite clicking.
"But that's how it's supposed to go," he said. "It's supposed to be hard. It brought me to my knees at times and it was like starting over. Every player has to go through this. But you keep putting your feelers out there and don't be afraid to go with what's in your heart. Your life takes off on the other side of fear. That's what I tell my kids."
Gonzalez has done documentaries, movies, lip-sync battles and appeared on TV shows. He's written diet books and put out fitness apps. Not being afraid to fail was what helped him be prolific.
"As long as you're not afraid to put yourself out there and have a beginner's mindset (it will work out)," he said in a message to retiring players. "Don't forget (the work ethic) that got you where you were. Although you have to forget who you were and let go of who you were, you also have to remember what got you where you were."
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Which brings us to Rob Gronkowski. It's a worthwhile debate as to whether Gronk is the greatest tight end of all time or Gonzalez is. But as Gronk attempts his NFL dismount at the age of 29, his retirement announcement has been largely treated as a charade. The presumption is that it won't stick. That once the games are going on and it looks like the team needs him, he won't be able to resist returning. Especially if Tom Brady or Bill Belichick send up the Gronk signal.
To me, that assumption — valid as it may be — is both sad and a little disrespectful. It presumes Gronk didn't know what he was doing when he made his decision and that he's not emotionally developed enough to walk away. His sense of self isn't strong enough for him to "forget" and "let go" of who he was.
"What I'd say to anyone retiring, Rob too, is realize that you're not an All-Pro anymore," said Gonzalez. "You have to start like you did on the football field. You're gonna drop a lot of balls, you're gonna miss a lot of blocks and you have to be willing to get your ass kicked again. That's just how it goes before you can start to dominate again and you have to figure out what you love again. Which is hard. But that takes that courage to go out there and say, 'I'm gonna try this but everybody's gonna be watching me now and what if I fail at it?' And chances are you might fail at it. And then you have to shift and try something else and eventually you'll find out what you really, really love."
The next few months will be a real test for Gronk as he tries to go from superstar to civilian. If he does it successfully, we'll be here to celebrate him in 2024 as he joins Gonzalez in Canton.
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