Actor and America’s Got Talent host Terry Crews is opening up about his humble beginnings as an NFL player. Though reaching heights very few other athletes ever do, the 55-year-old says the world of professional sports was not as lucrative as people may think.
According to AfroTech, Crews played for several teams for three seasons, including the San Diego Chargers, the then-Washington Redskins, and Philadelphia Eagles. However, his time in the league did not produce significant dividends.
“My NFL career was not glamorous at all,” Crews said.
“That’s the reality.”
“When I got cut [from a team, I’d] go back in the locker room and ask the players if they wanted their portraits painted,” he said.
When Crews finally decided to leave the NFL behind to follow his dream of being in the entertainment industry, he relied on the kindness of a former teammate to support him and his family. Crews began sweeping factory floors at his lowest point for $8 an hour.
“I had $64 at the end of the day. I went, ‘Oh my God, I actually made this money on my own.’ I was never broke again. I never stopped working,” Crews said.
His big break in the film industry would come through a chance encounter while doing security on movie sets.
Two decades and a reported $25 million net worth later, Crews attributes the longevity of his lucrative career to his values.
“I have more money now than I ever had in my entire life … because people understand equity and honor,” he said. “People make money, but if they don’t have any equity or honor, it all falls away — and that sounds real existential or spiritual, but it’s for real.”
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Source: Black Enterprise
