JonEJet Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Trevor Pryce writes an open letter to Rex. In Comfortable Retirement, and Getting Tired of It By TREVOR PRYCE Published: April 21, 2012 NY TIMES. During my 14 years in the N.F.L., my favorite day was Monday. As long as I wasn’t preparing for surgery or being released, Mondays were special. They signified that I had made it through another week and was ready for another opponent. Even the soreness was oh, so sweet. How I miss those days. Now my Mondays go something like this: Work on my tennis serve; take a conference call with a Hollywood executive; get my three children to school; browse my favorite Web sites, none of them involving football; check my Words With Friends; and take the dog to day care. By then, it’s only 10:30 a.m. Welcome to the life of the secure and utterly bored former professional athlete. The last thing I need is anybody feeling sorry for me. I’m retired at 36. I’m still in shape, I still run fast and I’m injury free. So how did I arrive at this place, where the days run together, where sleep is so abundant that I can’t remember the last time I felt tired? The Steelers. That’s how. A few hours after the heartbreaking loss to Pittsburgh in the A.F.C. championship game that I played with the Jets in January 2011, I was standing by the bus and saying to myself: “This is it. I’m done!” Then Coach Rex Ryan walked up to me and asked what I was thinking about the next season. I told him that I was emotionally and physically spent and that the last thing I wanted to do was deal with football again. I’m a man of my word. Fourteen years on the defensive line was long enough. I lasted about 13 more than I thought I would, so I was content. Was I sad? A little. Was I elated and relieved? A lot. But now I have a question: Rex, do you need a pass rusher next season? Having retired way before my time, I have started to lose focus and drive. I’m retired from the game I loved. I’m retired from the perks, like getting a table instantly at my favorite restaurant. And I’m retired from the N.F.L. brotherhood. Passed by. At times, I feel ostracized. The N.F.L. isn’t a street gang. We’re mercenaries willing to work for the highest bidder and willing to get along with whomever we need to in order to keep working. I know why I haven’t heard from any of my former teammates. But it’s not as if I’m looking for them, either. What would we talk about? What do we have in common now? Not much. Once you’re out of the circle, you’re out. So besides my family and a couple of my high school buddies, I don’t have many friends. “Early retirement” sounds wonderful. It certainly did that cold night in Pittsburgh. I was going to use my time to conquer the world. Boy, was I wrong. Now I find myself in music chat rooms arguing the validity of Frank Zappa versus the Mars Volta. (If the others only knew Walkingpnumonia was the screen name for a former All-Pro football player and not some Oberlin College student trying to find his place in the world.) I wrote a book. I set sail on the picturesque and calming waters of Bodymore, Murdaland. And when I’m in dire straits, I do what any 8-year-old does; I kick a soccer ball against the garage hoping somebody feels sorry and says, “Hey, want to play?” With millions of Americans out of work or doing work for which they are overqualified, I consider myself lucky. But starting from scratch can be unsettling. If you’re not prepared for it, retirement can become a form of self-imposed exile from the fulfillment and the exhilaration of knowing you did a good job. Many people retire around 65. I will turn 37 this summer, yet like all former N.F.L. players, I face greater health risks, both physical and psychological, that compound my fears. I don’t know why I’m surprised by any of this. I’ve been preparing for retirement since the Denver Broncos drafted me in the first round in 1997. I was part of the inaugural rookie symposium the N.F.L. conducts to help college players make the transition to professional football. Three days of meetings pretty much consisted of the same two messages: use a condom and save your money. The players who are drafted this week will hear the same warnings. The N.F.L. stands for Not for Long, and if you don’t heed that advice, you will be another statistic. To avoid that fate, I started thinking about the end before my career even started. The N.F.L. helps active and retired players with off-season programs that teach ways to conquer the music business or the film business, or to work for ESPN. Those programs weren’t around when I started to accept that my career wasn’t going to last forever, so each off-season, I embarked on postfootball endeavors. During the six-month off-seasons, I pretty much educated myself, dabbling in music, Hollywood, journalism, real estate and everything in between, with varying degrees of success. I was able to do a lot in so little time. Now that I have all the time in the world, it’s amazing how little I accomplish every day. Sometimes, that’s a good thing. Most times not. Nothing truly prepared me for retirement. It hit me across the face like a Deacon Jones head slap. Suddenly, I’m sitting around at 10:30 a.m. looking for something good on television — which is impossible. Don’t cry for me, though. I’m getting used to it slowly and will be content with my new life. That is, until Rex calls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SenorGato Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 I'd love love love a DE like Pryce on this DL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pointman Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 I think I ask the question that everyone wants answered after reading that article... he sends his dog to daycare?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pointman Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 I'd love love love a DE like Pryce on this DL. IN HIS PRIME. Right? Thats what you forgot to add to the end, RIGHT?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StraightCash Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 I think I ask the question that everyone wants answered after reading that article... he sends his dog to daycare?? lol. This was literally my first thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T0mShane Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 I'll bet Joe Mott is bored, too. Maybe we can sign him after we get Pryce? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SenorGato Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 IN HIS PRIME. Right? Thats what you forgot to add to the end, RIGHT?! I would think that's a given, BUT THESE BE THE JETS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T0mShane Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 What's Mickey Shuler up to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurnleyJet Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 What's Mickey Shuler up to? If it's D-line I'm on the phone right now to Joe Klecko... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrellegivesmeaboner#24 Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Where is the harm in bringing this man to camp? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Jet from Oz Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 He listens to Zappa, I love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Jet from Oz Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 Where is the harm in bringing this man to camp? And yeah, no harm in giving him a go. What if he works out and actually adds something to the team? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spjets Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 Id love to see what he has left......cant hurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirlancemehlot Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 You guys are taking the piece too literally, I think. It's a chuckle piece. Humorus musings over a real phenomenon that effects all retirees. The dog to daycare thing is just part of the set-up. It's meant to be funny. Like when I draw a picture of a penis between my wife's shoulder blades while she sleeps every April 1st. The joke is the joke, but it's also a set-up to something bigger. Like trying to watch a grown woman scrub her back with a washcloth duct-taped to a stick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New York Mick Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 He misses getting seated quickly at restaurants? That's one of the things he brings up?? Anyway I think we should bring everyone and everyone that might be able to play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxman Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 I think I ask the question that everyone wants answered after reading that article... he sends his dog to daycare?? I didn't get that either. If he is home why send the dog to day care? If you aren't home, why send the dog to day care? lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustInFudge Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 I think I ask the question that everyone wants answered after reading that article... he sends his dog to daycare?? He listens to Zappa, I love it. After reading this article I was like, Trevor Pryce sounds like a cool dude but why the **** are you retired and you take your dog to day care? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryno the Jet Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 DOIT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornJetsFan1983 Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 I didnt think this was real, now that i know it is, sign this beast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtnj18 Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 I wish Damien Woody would write a letter like this to Rex...only seriously mean it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pointman Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 I wish Damien Woody would write a letter like this to Rex...only seriously mean it. When he use to talk on his cushy on air job, he sounded like it wouldn't take too much coaxing to get him back. It seemed more like our beloved org that was the ones not willing to reach out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtnj18 Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 When he use to talk on his cushy on air job, he sounded like it wouldn't take too much coaxing to get him back. It seemed more like our beloved org that was the ones not willing to reach out. Agreed. Sure he's "seasoned" but who gives a sh*t if you're good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pointman Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 Exactly. Age only matters if you show a big drop off. He didn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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