“I Can Serve People”: Darren Waller Once Worked in a Grocery Store Before Retiring From the NFL

Former Baltimore Ravens tight end Darren Waller announced his retirement today after a nine-year-long illustrious career. However, Waller’s life hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows; from serious health scares to suspensions from the league due to violating substance abuse policies. And to fill those holes left by bad choices, Waller took up jobs like working in a grocery store, all to keep himself grounded.

During his recent appearance on ‘The Pivot’ podcast, the former tight end spoke about his journey beyond football, particularly his struggle with substance abuse. Waller went on to pursue a mundane career path, working as a grocery store clerk as a part of the recovery process. And as he weaned himself off of drugs, the tight end experienced the normalcy of life.

“I’m bagging groceries at the front like you know? So that was like humbling for me, but it’s like it also gave me a sense that I can serve people,” Waller recalled. “I feel like I can feel good about the work that I do no matter what line its in. And it kind of helped me, you know, detach my identity from football.” 

Moreover, his attempts at making amends were also made to fix things with his parents. In the interview, he also passionately spoke about how he wanted to get his life together for the family around him. And that involved him working out of the NFL. However, Waller had a lot of potential, and before his downfall, his career was on the rise.

Darren Waller and His Trailblazing Career

As a tight end, Waller bounced around a few different teams. He played for the Baltimore Ravens, the Las Vegas Raiders, and a one-season stint with the New York Giants. According to NBC Miami, he has played in only 86 games, and for those many games, he made quite an impact.

He caught a whopping 350 receptions for 4,124 yards and scored 20 touchdowns. He notably made the Pro Bowl in the 2020 season and would’ve made strides the previous year as well if not for a season-ending hamstring injury.

All in all, he had an illustrious career, despite his challenges as well as health issues. As he steps away from the game, his future is going to be full of excitement and new decisions.