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NFL

Jason Bell Explains the Hardest Part of Leaving the NFL

The former defensive back says losing the daily routine and time with teammates made retirement difficult.

By TSP Staff
The former Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 2008.
Giants Stadium, the New York Giants’ home during Jason Bell’s final NFL seasons. Archival photograph. · Credit: Omnibus; retouched by Uris / Wikimedia Commons

Jason Bell says the hardest part of retiring from the NFL was losing the daily routine and relationships that had organized his professional life.

In comments reported by talkSPORT on Thursday, the former defensive back described the adjustment after leaving football in 2007. He distinguished the loss of everyday contact with teammates from the broader question of finding an identity outside the sport.

Bell credited support from fellow former player Carlos Emmons with helping him through the transition. Their regular conversations gave him someone who understood the disruption following the end of a playing career.

Bell previously discussed that period in an interview with The Trust, the support organization serving former NFL players. He said a back injury accelerated his retirement, although he had begun preparing for another career.

In that earlier interview, Bell explained that his interest in finance developed while playing. He wanted to help players understand business arrangements and contracts, and sought people who could teach him the industry.

He subsequently moved into broadcasting in Britain alongside former teammate Osi Umenyiora. Planning for work after football had not removed the difficulty of leaving the locker room.

Sources and notes

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