Weirdest Careers Athletes Have Entered Post-Sports
If you were a rich and famous athlete, what would you do when you retired? Sit around your mansion, playing video games and buying miniature giraffes? Seems legit. But while some athletes do just that, others choose to re-enter the workforce. And not just as your typical sports commentator or talking head on ESPN, but in a variety of odd and unexpected careers. Here's a look at some of the weirdest jobs pro athletes have taken up after retiring from sports.
Mookie Wilson: truck driver
William "Mookie" Wilson had a long and successful career in baseball, winning the World Series with the New York Mets as part of his 12-year career. He's actually still involved with the Mets thanks to a nebulous front-office position. But on the side, he has a special passion: a secret second life as a truck driver. "It's an enjoyment, not a necessity," he explained to Philly.com. "You kind of control how much you drive and when you drive. It's not like that in baseball." Keep on truckin', Mookie.
Shaquille O'Neal: cop
Everyone should have seen this one coming, given how three-time NBA champion Shaquille O'Neal was made an honorary U.S. Deputy Marshal in 2005 while still an active player. But while he keeps down a day job talking about basketball on television, he's also very serious about his role in law enforcement, becoming a reserve police officer in South Florida just last year. This isn't the first time he's been a reserve police officer either, previously serving in the same capacity in Los Angeles and Miami Beach, among other places. We're guessing the sight of Shaq in a cop uniform is a very strong deterrent to potential law breakers.
Curt Schilling: video game developer
Over the course of his major league pitching career, Curt Schilling won the World Series three times and was considered to be a strong leader both on the mound and in the clubhouse. But what he really wanted to lead was raids on instance dungeons in an MMORPG of his design. That explains why, after leaving baseball, the Everquest addict became a video game developer, squandering tens of millions of dollars of his own money (as well as Rhode Island taxpayer funds) to create the failed RPG Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Turns out, the only thing scarier than pitching to Barry Bonds is facing down virtual ogres.
Richard Seigler: pimp?
A fourth-round draft choice by the San Fancisco 49ers, linebacker Richard Siegler never quite made it big in football. So he decided to do the logical thing: become a pimp. Yup, in 2007, while still on the Steelers practice squad, Siegler was arrested on charges related to prostitution in Las Vegas. But he wasn't soliciting like most athletes arrested on prostitution related charges — he was actually pimping! At least, allegedly so — a year later, the charges were dropped, and Siegler gave up his second career to focus on becoming a football coach instead. Sometimes, the expected choice is the better one.
Drew Bledsoe: vintner
Drew Bledsoe won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots, but these days, he's traded the football field for grape fields. That's because Bledsoe has started a second career as a winemaker in his home state of Washington, which produces more wine than any other state except California. Why wine? "I found the entire process fascinating ... just starting out with a piece of bare ground and ending up with a work of art in a bottle which you can share with friends and family," Bledsoe told Joseph & Curtis. "I not only thought it could be a great business, but also a wonderful lifestyle as well." We'll drink to that.
David Hillier: fireman
After Arsenal star David Hillier retired from professional soccer, he made the unusual decision to forgo a life of leisure and sport in order to work as a fireman instead. He told The Guardian that, "the rush is incredible: football just can't compare." But he does miss one thing: the reams of money. "I suppose I do miss the £70-80 grand a year though. But you know, that's life. It's not a problem, I love doing what I'm doing. If they paid a few million more, it would be even better." From his lips to God's ears.
Adrian Dantley: crossing guard
Finally, there's Adrian Dantley, an NBA Hall of Famer with millions of dollars in the bank and a stint as an NBA head coach on his resume. So why did he recently take a job as a school crossing guard? For the same simple reason that most of these guys took weird jobs: abject boredom. "I didn't work last year so I got bored sitting around the house," he told the Washington Post. With the crossing guard job, "I can stay busy, spend some time with the kids, do something for the community." Can't argue with that.