Jason Brown was the highest paid NFL center in 2009. However, despite his success and money, Brown walked away from the game to farm.
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Brown made the decision to help feed people who need it, and it looks like his efforts have paid off in big ways.
Jason Brown played in #NFL! When retired, started 1,000 acre farm to supply local #FoodPantries, First Fruits Farm. https://t.co/rQ1WuiNjRe. This #BlackHistoryMonth, we’re highlighting African Americans who changed the #WayWeGarden! @foodteach @FoodFactorMS pic.twitter.com/JMCvLv2wh0
— Geoff Denny (@PlantGeekGeoff) February 20, 2018
Brown’s decision was surprising to say the least, but Brown has more than made his peace with it. Brown had it all, but he knew that football wasn’t his be-all end-all.
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Why did Jason Brown walk away from the NFL?
One glance at Brown’s status in the NFL in 2009, and you’ll probably be shaking your head wondering why he stepped away from all that.
In 2009, Jason Brown signed a five-year $37.5 million contract, with the Rams, which made him the highest paid center in the NFL at the time.
After two seasons, however, Jason Brown’s coach told him that he wouldn’t be starting anymore. Brown had been replaced, but it never seemed like he would walk away from the NFL completely.
In 2012, Brown was cut by the Rams, but he was still just 29 years old, with plenty left in the tank. The Baltimore Ravens even made him an offer. He surely wouldn’t refuse it, would he?
After all, he had a wife and a growing family, he would need to take care of them in some way right? Well, football clearly wasn’t it.
Brown’s Farming Efforts
Brown felt as if God was leading him away from the NFL and that his true calling would come in some other way. And come it did: in the form of of 1,000 acre farm.
Here is what Brown had to say:
“My agent, he told me, ‘You’re making the biggest mistake of your life’. And I looked right back at him and I said, ‘No I am not.'”
Brown does to help the less fortunate. In fact, in 2016, he gave away 46,000 pounds of sweet potatoes and 10,000 pounds of cucumbers.
Brown supposedly had no idea how to farm and learned through YouTube videos. His work had helped so many people across the country:
#ServiceSaturday: @NFL Legend Jason Brown (@WiseFarmerBrown) recently donated 40,000 pounds of his crop to local food pantries & shelters to help those in need. Learn how the impact he’s making in the community: https://t.co/LGAURG9Cxl pic.twitter.com/YB3G9PrewI
— TroyVincentSr (@TroyVincentSr) March 10, 2018
Stories like these are always inspiring, and they help show how sometimes even the biggest of athletes can make large sacrifices to help out those around them.
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