Early Retirement

Nebraska's Hickman takes rare pass on invitation from 'The League'
By Matt Hinton/rivals.yahoo.com

Between mock drafts, the scouting combine, upcoming "pro days" on various campuses and next month's draft, the collective mind of the football universe is completely submerged its annual obsession with sizing up players bound for the next level, as well as the many, many others who desperately want to be.

From inside the belly of the beast, the only mantra this time of year is "NFL or bust," even for fringe players and obscurities the scouts seem to think have "bust" written all over them. One team interviewing former Florida State safety Myron Rolle during the combine reportedly asked the aspiring neurosurgeon how it felt to desert his team to pursue a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study overseas as a Rhodes Scholar, perhaps a reasonable (if poorly-worded) question in a profession that demands total commitment for success.

Here, the mindset of a player like Nebraska offensive lineman Jacob Hickman -- a three-year starter at a powerhouse program and likely late-round draft pick who turned down an offer to work out at the combine -- is almost foreign. But at some point between the four surgeries, 14 screws in various parts of his body and early stages of arthritis he's endured over the last four years, Hickman decided the game isn't for him anymore:

"Playing in the NFL was never a dream for me, like the end-all, be-all," Hickman said. "I kind of thought if that happens, it's something I would do. As it has progressed, I’ve kind of gone in a different direction."

Some scouting services ranked Hickman as high as the No. 10 center available in April's NFL draft. But a few days after the Cornhuskers beat Arizona in the Holiday Bowl, Hickman came to the conclusion that he simply doesn’t feel like playing football anymore.

"I enjoyed everything I did here," Hickman said. "I had a great experience. I didn't feel the need to continue playing. It just didn’t feel like it's what I wanted to do with my life."

The surprise, of course, isn't that Hickman decided to pass up his big chance, but that more players -- guys like Myron Rolle, who clearly have other goals in life -- don't come to the same conclusion. Certainly many more players (especially linemen) on hand in Indianapolis over the weekend have felt the same way at various points in their amateur career, and may still harbor some of the same doubts as Hickman about the incredible toll a pro career will take on their bodies, especially as we continue to learn more about those risks. Others may be burned out on the game, or the physical workload it requires. But Hickman remains an oddity in big-time football; among the small fraction of players with the freakish physical talent the league requires, who have devoted their entire lives to the game, passing on the biggest prize is out of the question, whatever the cost. If you can play, you play.

For his part, Hickman says he's not burned on the game; he enjoys the "mental aspects" and may go into coaching (he also has a degree from Nebraska in construction management). Most of his peers vying for a spot in the draft or just a training camp will be joining him on that route shortly. In the meantime, the siren call of "The League" remains too strong.

This story came as a bit of a surprise to me as I hadn't heard that Hickman was going to drop out of the Combine. Obviously I haven't been putting in my customary time on the Husker message boards since recruiting ended. I it a surprise to see that someone with the talent to play in the NFL would pass up the chance. Part of that is because of the amount of money one can make and the other is the shot at relative fame.

We as Americans all dream of becoming rich and famous and seeing someone decide not to prusue that when they have momentum in that direction is different. I certainly can't blast Hickman. I went through the motions of playing football too (albeit at Crockett Junior High and not at the University of Nebraska) and I understand something is not worth doing if you're not happy. So kudos to Jacob for making a tough decision and I hope all works out best in his future endeavors. Keep in touch with the Huskers - they may be looking for a new offensive line coach soon.