Davis not ready for ‘miserable life’ after football

Thomas Davis is trying to prepare himself for five weeks without football…

Carolina Panthers captain and linebacker Thomas Davis has been around football nearly his entire life. A four-sport athlete in high school (football, basketball, baseball, track) Davis chose to attend the University of Georgia on a scholarship laying the groundwork for his career in professional football.

The first-round pick for Carolina (No. 14 overall) in the 2005 NFL Draft, Davis began as a safety before switching to linebacker his rookie season. Appearing in all 16 games the future captain had no idea at the time what his future would entail.

Thirteen years later Davis is preparing for his fourteenth NFL season, all with the Panthers. He’s witnessed a year with only two wins and been part of a near perfect season on the way to a Super Bowl that he nearly missed with a broken forearm.

No stranger to injuries, Davis suffered three ACL tears over a three year period (2009-2011) becoming the first person ever to recover from that amount of knee injuries and return. He’s sat through an entire season before and it only seemed to fuel the fire.

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Suspended for the first four games of 2018 – five weeks as the Carolina bye comes in Week 4 – due to a failed drug test, Davis is preparing to watch his teammates play without him again. This time however, he won’t be allowed to attend the games, even as a ticket holder, or have any contact with the team in any capacity.

When asked if his time away would provide a greater appreciation for the game, Davis answered:

"It’s definitely going to give me a greater appreciation … not being able to come over here, me not being able to play the games, it just makes me want to play even more … if this and the feeling I have right now is any indication of what it’s going to be like when I can’t play anymore, its going to be a miserable life."

Before the season and his suspension, Davis indicated that this would be his last in a Panthers uniform, electing to retire. Since, he has dropped numerous hints about wanting to return next year but will need a new contract in order to do so.

On the heels of three consecutive Pro Bowl nominations, the first of his entire career, Davis hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down anytime soon. Continuing to play at a high level, enjoying practice and being around the locker room, it doesn’t appear as if Davis is ready to call it quits just yet.

Life sans football for Davis likely won’t be miserable but having to face that reality can make it seem as such, at least initially. His suspension coming this late in his career provides a glimpse of what life will be like once he retires and it may be enough to spark another fire.

At least for a few more seasons.