NFL player Terrance Ganaway takes offseason job at sandwich shop

Many professional athletes spend their offseason by the pool, on the beach, or relaxing at a five-star restaurant.

Not so for St. Louis Rams running back Terrance Ganaway, who decided to spend his down time building submarine sandwiches. That's right, Ganaway - who earned the NFL minimum of $390,000 as a rookie last year - took a $7.50/hour gig at Jimmy John's in Waco, Texas.

"I'm on the line that makes the sandwiches. I bake bread, take the cashier spot," Ganaway told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I had to sweep the other day. Clean the tables. I mean all types of stuff. Slice the meat. Wrap the meat."

It all started last month when the former Baylor star said he "jokingly" tweeted that he had too much down time and was looking for a job in Waco. An employee at Jimmy John's called his bluff and now the Rams running back is working three night shifts a week.

"I just wanted to stay fit, stay out of trouble and really just try to save money and not spend a lot of money," Ganaway told the newspaper.

The New Boston, Texas, native, who appeared in only three games for the Rams last year, seemed surprised by all the attention his modest job has garnered, tweeting:

But Rams coach Jeff Fisher need not worry that Ganaway will permanently trade his NFL cleats for hoagie gloves.

"My No. 1 job is being an NFL player," Ganaway told the St. Louis Dispatch-Post. "So don't get it confused as to me working at Jimmy John's has me lazy. ... I know what I have to do. I know how to get in shape and I know what it takes to perform at a high level. Really, Jimmy John's is just to keep me out of trouble in all the down time we have in the offseason."

Ganaway is not the first pro athlete to take a creative employment route during down time. In 2011, former NBA player Delonte West got a gig at a furniture store during the league's protracted labor lockout.