MY SHATTERED NFL DREAMS

My name is Kareem McNeal, and I was once in a situation where it looked like I would have a promising career with the NFL. A sudden accident changed everything, in an instant. I could easily have blamed God for losing my opportunity, but I did not. My faith was stronger than what happened, and I continued to trust in God. 

I am from Tuskegee and went to high school in Montgomery at Alabama Christian Academy. Originally, I did not have a desire to play football, but the football coach asked me to try out for the team. It seemed by accident that I got my start with football. It was hard at first and I wanted to quit, but I did not want to disappoint the head coach. As an overweight and out of shape ninth grader, I did not feel as if I could contribute anything. Over time, I got taller, lost weight, and started to get better at the sport. By the end of tenth grade, things began to click for me. 

I found it fun to play football because I got to run people over. That was my goal every game, and I was good at it. During my junior year, the coach said I could go to college and play for any school I wanted. After that conversation, I began to receive recruiting and calls from all over the country. During that process, I improved and advanced even more. I received awards and got player of the year for the state of Alabama, as well as being named a Top 14 recruit in the country. 

I made the decision to go to the University of Alabama, and I was on their 1992 championship team. By 1994, I earned the starting position at right tackle. It was a solid year, and my future in football was looking bright. 

At the end of football season, in my junior year, I fell in love and got married.

Things were good. Going into my senior year, I was slated to be a starting left tackle, but before that could happen, I was in a tragic car accident. 

That night, I could really see where God truly kept me alive. My brother-in-law, Jacob, was driving, I was in the passenger seat, and our friend was in the back. We were heading down a dark country road, when suddenly, Jacob lost control of the car. The three of us were thrown from the vehicle. My brother-in-law and I landed over 80 feet from the car and over a barbed wire fence. Somehow, we landed in a bunch of rattlesnakes! Our other friend landed on his head in the middle of the road. Surprisingly, he was okay other than a concussion. My injuries were the worst, even though I had been the only one wearing a seatbelt. 

The first person who showed up was Jacob’s friend, who had to kill some of the snakes to reach us. It was a miracle that none of us were bitten. As a reminder of that night, he took one of the rattles as a keepsake. The medics came next, and had planned to fly me to Birmingham, but a thick fog unexpectedly rolled in, making a flight impossible. 

They drove me to the hospital, and I spent a week in the intensive care unit with a partially collapsed lung and a bruised back that needed surgery. They put me back together with rods in my back, but I would be permanently paralyzed from the waist down. Paramedics said I would not have survived if I had not been in shape. 

Doctors said I would never walk again, but I did not want to accept that. I believed God would heal me to walk again. That did not happen as I had hoped, but God did other important things for me.

My life would not be as rich or full had I not met so many wonderful people and been able to impact them with my story.

I leaned on faith, my wife, and my family support group to help me through the challenges. It was challenging work, but I got through it. I spent around two months recovering at the hospital. Afterwards, I finished my undergraduate degree in Physical Education. I worried how I would make a living in a wheelchair. It was then I decided to go to graduate school, and my coach said I should work at RISE, a program for kids with special needs to integrate them into the classroom. It really helped me not to feel sorry for myself and to change my views. What was I worried about after meeting all those beautiful children who were born with all kinds of disabilities?

I decided to teach health and absolutely fell in love with it. I worked at Shelton Community College for 21 years, teaching a wide variety of subjects: everything from weight training, personal health, to safety and more. I had the opportunity to be involved in education and coaching for over 20 years. It has been a wonderful experience and blessing. I share my testimony at churches and other places on how God saved my life. 

The Bible tells us who is responsible for what happens to you. 

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”