5 NFL Players With An Amazing Hidden Skill
Ascending to the professional level of a sport if a lofty goal that few achieve. So it makes sense that those who made it there would apply that same dedication and hard work beyond athletics entirely. Plus, when you're in a career that relies on being in peak physical condition, it's not a bad idea to have a backup plan.
Here are a few NFL players who have done some pretty impressive work off the field.
Donte Stallworth
Teams: New Orleans Saints (2002−2005), Philadelphia Eagles (2006), New England Patriots (2007), Cleveland Browns (2008), Baltimore Ravens (2010), Washington Redskins (2011), New England Patriots (2012), Washington Redskins (2013)
Position: Wide Receiver
Hidden Passion: Journalism
After a prolific career in the NFL, one would think Stallworth might move on to coaching, or even try his hand as a sportscaster. You know, the usual retired athlete gigs.
But after finishing his last stint at Washington D.C.'s NFL team, Stallworth fancied himself the next Bob Woodward or Walter Cronkite. As a Washington Post profile showed in December, Stallworth landed a coveted fellowship with the Huffington Post covering national security politics after a binge on the Aaron Sorkin TV show, The Newsroom. The HuffPo had him covering stories like the U.S.-Cuba relationship, Hillary Clinton's Israel policies and the Iran nuclear program. He told the Washington Post hopes to eventually land a full-time gig in journalism.
Aaron Maybin
Teams: Buffalo Bills (2009–2010), New York Jets (2011–2012), Cincinnati Bengals (2013), Toronto Argonauts (2013)
Position: Linebacker
Hidden Passion: Art
Maybe Maybin's team history looks a bit like the depressing lineup at a firing squad, but he'd proven himself a useful defender over several seasons with the Jets and the Bills. That experience didn't mean much in 2013 when he was cut from the Bengals after just eight months with the team.
Still, Maybin found his way onto the HBO reality show Hard Knocks for a season and proved he was more than just a bruiser on the field. There, he was able to showcase some of his beautiful artwork that he was having a tough time selling. After the show premiered, Maybin's art business started booming, with some of his pieces selling for up to $20,000.
Herschel Walker
Teams:New Jersey Generals (1983–1985), Dallas Cowboys (1986–1989), Minnesota Vikings (1989–1991), Philadelphia Eagles (1992–1994), New York Giants (1995), Dallas Cowboys (1996–1997)
Position: Running Back
Hidden Passion: Ballet
When we think of the greats in the NFL, "delicate" isn't exactly a word that comes to mind. But for two-time All Pro running back Herschel Walker, that's exactly how a 1998 New York Times profile describes his grace as a ballet dancer. At 6 feet 1 inches tall and 225 pounds, it's no easy feat to keep the precise, balanced movements of the classical dance.
Believe it or not, it wasn't just for the art that Walker studied ballet -- the Heisman Trophy winner found it enhanced his performance as a running back. He told the Times he took an introductory course on ballet as a student at the University of Georgia and found his on-field performance improving as a result. In 1988, he even performed with the Fort Worth Ballet company during his time with the Cowboys.
Eddie George
Teams: Houston Oilers/Tennessee Oilers/Tennessee Titans (1996–2003), Dallas Cowboys (2004)
Position: Running Back
Hidden Passion: Acting
Lots of athletes make their move to the big screen after a career in sports, but Eddie George is taking acting to a whole new level. No, this is way beyond Kazaam! or Space Jam -- in fact, he's not acting in any films... Yet.
As 60 Minutes Sports showed in the profile above, George is sticking to the stage for his acting career -- specifically in the Shakespearean tradition. His career has proved to be anything but amateur -- the Heisman Trophy winner played the title characters in both Othello and Julius at one of the most prestigious Shakespeare festivals in the country. When 60 Minutes Sports asked George why he decided to become a Shakespearean actor, he responded, "Because it's the hardest thing."
John Urschel
Teams: Baltimore Ravens (2014–present)
Position: Guard
Hidden Passion: Mathematics
Conjure up an image in your mind of a stereotypical NFL lineman. Now, do you think that guy would publish an article titled, "A Cascadic Multigrid Algorithm for Computing the Fiedler Vector of Graph Laplacians" in the Journal of Computational Mathematics? Well that's exactly what Ravens Guard John Urschel did in March of this year. Check out the article for yourself.
Even more surprising, this isn't even Urschel's first published scholarly article. In fact, Urschel told Bloomberg Business that he's worried about sustained head trauma in his NFL career for how it may ruin "bright career ahead of me in mathematics." Don't believe us? Follow him on Twitter and see for yourself -- @MathMeetsFball.
Oh, and in case you weren't already impressed by his competitive prowess, Urschel hopes to one day go pro in another sport: chess.