He stated that, in the ninth grade, someone said something about the importance of education, that put him on the right track, but said it starts well before then. His greatest accomplishments, he said, were graduating from high school, graduating from Central Alabama, and graduating from Birmingham Southern. He said that he wasn't as lucky as the two others athletes there, Thomas, and Rod Crayton, who were drafted into playing sports professionally, but that because of his education, he had something to fall back on. He now works at Lee County Youth Development, helping children. When you take your SATs, he said, you need to concentrate on trying to do your best, because no matter where you go in life, it's going to take your best to get there.
Education is the way out.
He graduated from Dadeville High School in 1996, then began Auburn. He had a good freshman year, he said, but in his sophomore year, trouble started. He had knee surgery and it looked as though football was out of the question. He had more knee surgery in 1998. I concentrated on my grades and made sure I got my degree.