From HOMELESS And DRUG ADDICT to NFL CHAMPION! The Story of Anthony Hargrove
33Today we're gonna change it up and talk about the NFL. This is the story of Anthony Hargrove, who went from being homeless and a drug addict to a super bowl champion.
Without further a do, lets bring it back to 1989, Brooklyn, New York. A young Anthony Hargrove was taking a bath in the sink with his brother and sister, when smoke started coming up through the fire escape. Anthony recalls a fireman coming through the door, rescuing the family. Ever since the moment he charged out of that burning building, he began a life on the run. Hargrove and his family moved through a series of apartments and shelters for over a year. Eventually, Anthony's mom, Rosa, became too sick to care for her children, so they were moved into a foster care. Hargroves mother passed away when Anthony was just nine years old due to AIDS. At that point, Anthony lost his best friend and role model.
Shortly after his mother's death, Hargrove and his two siblings were adopted by their aunt and uncle and moved to Port Charlotte, Florida. He attended Port Charlotte High, where he became one of the biggest quarterbacks and free safeties in the country. Looking back at his NFL career now, Hargrove still has a part of him that whishes he would 've stayed at quarterback. Anthony ultimately listened to people around him and committed to the defensive side of the ball because of his size. He played well enough in high school to get an offer from D1 football school, Georgia Tech.
At Georgia Tech, Hargrove was a beast on the field. Converting to defensive end, Hargrove started every game and had a very impressive sophomore season. However, Hargrove couldn't keep his grades up, and was forced out of college after he was declared academically ineligible for his junior year. The seemingly easy path to the NFL just took a huge turn, as he left school and decided to work at other jobs.
Even though Hargrove missed a year of football and was not invited to the NFL combine. He was still drafted by the St Louis Rams with the 91st overall pick in the 2004 draft. He was 20 years old and was living a childhood dream. In his second season in the NFL, the defensive end racked up 6.5 sacks and started to gain some buzz around the league. He started to make a name for himself entering into his third and final year of his rookie deal.
Early in his third season with the Rams in 2006, Hargrove went missing for two days. He was in somebody's basement, snorting lines of cocaine as long as a shoe box in an overdose attempt. Hargrove had a drug addiction that started all the way back to his days with his aunt and uncle, but the NFL and the success that came with it elevated his issues to another level. The glamorous lifestyle of a professional athlete was starting to take over his life.
The Rams decided to trade Hargrove to the Buffalo Bills just a few weeks after the incident. He played well for the Bills, but his off the field issues didn't stop. In the 2007 offseason, Hargrove was at a nightclub with Bills teammates when he was involved in an altercation. He was charged with harassment, resisting arrest and criminal mischief. He was also suspended for the first four games of the 2007 season for violating the N.F.L.’s drug policy.
On Valentines Day, 2009, Hargrove was reinstated back into the NFL after being 10 months sober. However, nobody wanted to take a chance on him, which even Hargrove admitted was fair.
The Saints signed him to a one year contract for $620,000, the league minimum for someone with his experience level. Hargrove remembered a conversation he had with owner Tom Benson, telling him it was his last shot, make it work.
Hargrove related to Hurricane Katrinas affect to New Orleans with his own life. He felt like a hurricane came into his life and tore up everything he knew, and he had to start over. When Hargrove showed up to training camp, he had no car, so he had to take a taxi every day to practice.
Even through all the tough times, Hargrove had a career year in his first year back. He started 8 games, won NFC Player of the week, multiple game balls, won the Ed Block Courage Award. And most importantly, The Saints went on to win their first Super Bowl in Miami, the same city where Hargrove entered rehab a year earlier.
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