A quick update on what 41-year old former Pro Bowl tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson is doing these days in his NFL retirement.
The Jets’ former 11-year veteran last month graduated from Thomas Jefferson University’s (PA) nursing program. He proudly follows in the footsteps of his mother and grandmother who themselves were nurses.
Ferguson now has a degree on the wall and is applying for nursing positions so he can continue to develop his skills.
“Transitioning from football, I needed a new identity,” says Ferguson, who earlier graduated in 3 ½ years from the University of Virginia with a religious studies degree. “I needed something that would allow me to serve my greater community in a unique way. After talking to my mom, primarily during that COVID period, she suggested I take a look at nursing.”
Ferguson first had to return to community college to complete his prerequisites for a nursing degree.
“We’re all learning at the same level, and yet we’re at different stages in life,” Ferguson recently told the Philadelphia Inquirer, “I remember one of my classmates once said ‘Today’s my birthday.’ I wished her birthday greetings and asked how old she was. ‘I’m 18.’ At the time, I think I was maybe 39 or 38, and she’s like ‘Oh. Wow, that’s my mom’s age.’ In that moment, I felt very old.”
Ferguson sees similarities between playing football and the nursing profession.
“You practice, you prepare, but in the game, you have to respond to what’s happening in addition to what you already know,” Ferguson explains. “I think that ability to think through things is similar in some respects to nursing where you develop a foundation, you have a sense of background and understanding. But now this patient’s presenting in a certain way, and you need to respond accordingly.”
D’Brickashaw Ferguson has “responded accordingly” in so many aspects of his life thus far that we at NFL Alumni are confident our brother will continue to do so in the years ahead. We wish him much success.
