Hearing Charles Woodson talk about the passion he had for the game that he played for so incredibly long (33 years if you add in pop warner) is incredible. Most athletes I grew up with were absolutely done with sports by the time they are out of high school. If you’re like Woodson and have been putting the work in since you were 6-years-old, by the time you’re 18 you have already put in 12 years of work. Most young adults want a break, they want to go to college and party and finally let loose of all the disciplines they have had for so long.
His brain is one reason Woodson has been in the league for so long, but one morning his brain told him something different:
“I woke up the morning of the Detroit game and, almost immediately, I was like, This is it. Why? What hit me in that moment? I guess I felt like if somebody would’ve called and said, “C-Wood, the weather’s so bad around the city, nobody can get anywhere, and the game’s actually been canceled,” I would’ve been all right with it. I’ve never felt that way about being in a game before. Never in my life on game day did I feel like I would be cool with it if the game wasn’t played. To feel like that on a Sunday, I knew it was time. It just hit me out of the blue.”
Most of the time that’s how things happen. It’s not gradual, but all of a sudden. I’m glad he is at peace with it. Check out the full story on ESPN.