"People just keep asking me (why he quit the NFL), and it's like, 'OK, why are you asking me that?' " Coffee said. "And their No. 1 reason -- their only reason -- is money. It saddens me, man. If your only focus is money, you're going to be sorely disappointed. A lot of people, they chase money. And when they get the money they think, 'OK, what now? There's got to be more than what I'm feeling now?' ...
"As far as the NFL goes, I have a hard time putting it like this because it sounds kind of harsh, but I feel like it ruins a lot of lives more than anything else. And that goes for people who have short careers in the NFL and long careers in the NFL. Because what happens is they see that as success. And money throughout your life has nothing to with your salvation in Christ.
"A lot of players get that money. And they chase that money, man, and I feel that they're really missing the true meaning of life. So I'm constantly afraid for the NFL and the players, because kids growing up nowadays, they see that as the end all, be all. And that's just not the case."
Quitting the NFL had nothing to do with the physical toll that the game takes, Coffee said, although "people assume that's why I left."
"If you ask anybody who knows me -- and I say this with full confidence -- they'll say I'm one of the toughest people they know," he said. "Because that's not a factor for me. When I was playing football, if I had something that needed to be done, it was no questions asked. I did it with 100 percent of my heart. That didn't weigh in as a decision for me, but at the same time I do feel like guys have it in their head that it's OK to put my body through this because I'm getting paid to do it.
Any chance he'll return to the NFL?
"I never say never, man," he said. "You know, my reason for leaving is that I was there for the Lord. That's the reason I left 'Bama early, and that's the reason I also left the NFL. If the Lord should say that I should return one day, then I'll return. But as of right now, I don't see that happening. ...
"And I want to add on as a far as returning to the NFL -- how do I put this? I'm not what you call an entertainer, man. I don't want to sound mean or attack the NFL, but I'm not an entertainer. I see football as being the same as being a singer, being a dancer or something along those lines. When we fill out our W-2s, we're in that category of entertainers, man.
"That's not me. I want to be doing something to better myself, to better someone else. Glen Coffee's not an entertainer. ... I want to love what I do. I don't just want to get paid."
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