Becoming a starter in the NFL could be considered a dream job by many. And earning that job by being a first-round draft pick would be the cherry on that career sundae.
But when you're able to check off those professional boxes by the time you're 26, you might start setting your sights on a different set of occupational goals. That's the case for Indianapolis Colts tight end Eric Ebron, who is already thinking about what he wants to do once he hangs up his cleats in the NFL.
"Having a backup plan is very smart," Ebron — the 10th overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft, going to the Detroit Lions—told The Players' Tribune and CBS Sports. "So being a firefighter is just a doorway for me to enter retirement."
The idea of pursuing firefighting was introduced to Ebron at a young age. His uncle was a firefighter, and at 16, Ebron watched his relative tackle a basement fire that broke out at a neighboring house.
"It was, like, the coolest thing to see," Ebron said. "And when I saw that, it was kind of like, 'That's what I want to do.' It seemed pretty cool. It was like a superhero at that point in time."
The excitement of firefighting might have initially stuck with Ebron when he watched his uncle in action. But the firefighting profession also reinforced the importance of serving your community and working with others toward a common goal.
"I think there's a huge similarity between being a player on the football field or a person in a firehouse," he told The Players' Tribune. "You depend on that one guy, and those 10 other guys believe in that one guy to do his job. It's the same thing on a firetruck. Those guys depend on each other. When we win, we win as a team."
